Ray's Lament: A Welcome to Dead House Prequel

Chapter #5 Are We Safe Here?

The ghostly pale intruder turned to me after I'd ran into them. I stood my ground, feeling a mix of fear and anxiety as their deep blue eyes fell onto me.

"Hello there Ray!" Mr. Dawes greeted.

My heart rate began to slow down to normal and I lowered the fists I had raised for protection as the realization sunk in. It wasn't an intruder, it was just the realtor checking in on us....

Mr. Dawes looked at me with a concerned expression.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. What are you doing here?" I inquired.

The realtor's brow furrowed.

"Your parents called me here to speak with me about something. They didn't sound happy either." He explained nervously.

Before I could respond, mom came into the room, her face taught with a serious stare when her eyes landed on Mr. Dawes.

"Good you're here. My husband will be right down, he's-. Oh my gosh Ray what happened to your arm?!" Mom exclaimed, now looking at me.

Mr. Dawes turned to look back at me and his expression when even paler than usual when he saw my ripped up arm that still had dabs of blood on it.

"Just a little baseball accident mom, I'm fine." I assured.

"Well go upstairs and clean it. The longer the dirt stays in there, the worse it'll get." Mom ordered.

Not bothering to argue, I trotted up the stairs, passing an irritated version of my father on the way up. Whatever they called Mr. Dawes here for was not good....

In the bathroom now, I put my arm under the sink and ran cold water on it for a minute. It felt soothing compared to what I knew would come next. I took the bottle of hydrogen peroxide from the cabinet and a washcloth then, pouring the smelly liquid onto it. I sucked in a deep breath before putting the soaked cloth on my arm, wincing immediately from the stinging sensation that felt ten times worse than the one on the playground. I cursed under my breath, like my father did sometimes as the sting went down.

I repeated this process for a few minutes until something else caught my attention; the sound of my parent's voices downstairs. They didn't sound happy....I set the cloth down on the counter and went to the top of the stairs in the hall to listen to what they were saying.

"But I remember telling you that there was a situation at the factory last year when I first showed you this house." Mr. Dawes was defending.

"But you didn't say that it exploded!" Dad jeered.

"This could have been a toxic waste zone and we wouldn't have even known!" Mom criticized.

"Not in the slightest, we tested the dirt and water, no radiation or toxins were found. I assure you that this town is safe." Mr. Dawes promised.

"It is still information that should have been included in the tour! We would never have known otherwise if it weren't for the man that told me." Dad scolded.

"Who was it that told you?" Mr. Dawes questioned with a seemingly darker voice.

"A construction worker who was working near the factory fences. Jim, I think his name was." Dad replied.

From my spot on the stairs, my hand tightened against the guard rail.... construction worker....?

"Hm. Well, I am deeply sorry for not mentioning it, but just understand that you are safe here. Now I must be going, I just remembered that I have a meeting with....someone, back at my office. Have a good rest of your day." Mr. Dawes stated before heading for the door. As he made his way out he spotted me listening on the stairs and gave me a knowing smile and wave before leaving.