All the dark places

Chapter 1: The Monday Deal

A tall black figure with blood-shot eyes stares directly at me, smiling with luminous white teeth, as the elevator door opens.

"Damn it! I am running late. I have to go home." I whisper to myself with my eyes fixed at my wrist watch.
My son is probably going to be either asleep or furious. I am running 30 minutes late than usual and I still have to prepare dinner after reaching home. Maybe I'll grab KFC on the way in hopes of making his mood lighter and not dying of starvation.

I am run-walking on the way home. I am extremely tired and want to just hit the hay as soon as I reach home.I finally reach KFC with its Blinding red logo at the top. I look inside through the windows and Oh, my God. It is packed with people tonight.

Dang it. I forgot today was Monday. People are here to buy the exclusive monday deal which, by the way, is a great deal.

It is a clear night with all the stars shining brightly along with the moon. The wind is blowing in the perfect speed. It feels great. It reminds me of the night I saw them for the last time before they crashed into a pole. My wife and my daughter, both, died in that horrific crash. They were on their way home from a Bridal Shower when the incident took place. It took a huge toll on me and my son, William. We both didn't talk to each other for weeks. He is feeling a tad bit better now that he has passed with 2305 on his SAT's and is going to Lancaster University.

I am running really late! I keep tapping my toes after I press the elevator's button.

Seriously? The 8th friggin' floor. Our building's elevator has to be the slowest thing on this entire planet.

The door finally opens and it is standing there, motionless. It is tall, and is pitch black. It is inhuman looking maybe because it IS. It is smiling at me. I am not able to move a muscle. People always say that they aren't able to move while they are scared. I can confirm this is true because no matter how much I try, I can't move.

I am probably tired and I am hallucinating. All these overtime's are messing with me.

I rub my eyes and ~poof~ it's gone. My heart-beat is crazy high. It was so surreal. Ignoring it, I enter the elevator and press "4" on the button panel. I still can't quite believe what just happened. What the heck was that thing? It was bizarre. I am just being crazy.

~ding~

The elevator door opens and I walk towards my apartment. The door plate number reads 13. I open the door and step on a LEGO.

OUCH. IT PAINS LIKE HELL. I WOULD RATHER STEP ON A FRICKING KNIFE THAN THIS.

"What is a LEGO even doing here?" I think to myself. A sharp sound stings through my ear.

"What the--?" It sounds like a baby. I go running into my room trying not to step into more LEGO. I open the door and see William holding a, what seems like, a 2 year old child ?

...Okay?

"Dad, go get the baby bottle I put in the microwave!" William screams at me.

I am extremely confused right now but I do as he says and run into the kitchen.

OW! ANOTHER LEGO!

I refrain from swearing and run to the kitchen, grab the bottle from the microwave, and give it to William. The baby becomes quite as soon as he starts sucking at the bottle.

The whole room is silent.

"Now, explain all this?" I say as I signal at the whole house and the baby.
"The neighbors have a date night today and well, they were looking for a babysitter. They couldn't find anyone and they saw me when I was returning from school. At first I rejected it but then they offered to pay 50$ and now, here I am with a very cute 2 year old drinking milk in my arms." He is speaking way too fast.
"I am way too tired for all this. If the baby is asleep, make him sleep on the bed. Oh also, I brought KFC!"
William's smile is enough to make me smile.

We eat our meal, the neighbors take their baby, and William and I clear the house. By the time we are done with this, it is almost 10:30 P.M.
"Let's call it a day, Shall we?" I say with a smile.
"Oh hell yeah, I am way too tired." William replies and we all go to bed.

Our apartment isn't that big. It has just one room, one washroom, and one kitchen with a store room. We lived in a pretty big house until the incident, until Carla and Grace left this world for ever.

William is already asleep by the time I change into my PJ's. I switch off my lights and lay down on my side of the bed.

I am way too sleepy and forget to remove my spectacles. My eye lids start closing on their own. I am so sleepy I almost forget about the hallucination earlier.

And then I see it again.

Standing near the corner of the bed. It still has that smile. That white nightmarish smile. I try to get up but I can't move. This time, not because of fear but something else. Some external force won't let me move. I can only move my eyes. My body isn't functioning properly. I try to scream in hopes of waking William up but I can't speak as well!

I can't do anything.

I just stare at it until it moves all of a sudden.

It moves closer and closer, until its "face" is inches away from mine.