Left alone in a home with Two People I Don't Know

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     The Tall Man has left out home. The two boys have been here a grand total of three days, and already I am starting to think maybe I was right to be uncomfortable around them. I don't get any privacy - they say it is for my safety, yet I don't see how they would really be much help in keeping me safe if Jeff were to show up. The real one, not that lunatic who chased me around our front yard. The same lunatic who I hope is still locked up. Or has lost interest in me. Most people don't take kindly to..what I threatened to do to him. Nor do most people take being arrested very well. That said, I hope he is locked up or bored of me because the last thing I need is for someone else to be mad at me and come to my house intending to hurt me.

One of the boys' name is Tim. The other's name is Brian. Brian doesn't talk much, and when he does, he seems to have some kind of a stutter. Tim does most of the talking; he also seems to have an attitude problem.. Sometimes, it's funny. Other times, it's not.

. . .

     My mom and dad took my siblings out to the doctor, and to go visit friends today. I assume it must still be storming out, because when I am out of the shower I walk into the kitchen to see Tim on the phone.

"Your parents aren't going to be here for awhile. They got stuck at their friends' house because of the rain." Is what he says to me, when he notices I have come in the room.

     So I'm stuck alone with these two..? I thought mom and dad weren't going to be out very long..

"...Are you sure that they can't come back sooner..?" I ask, folding my arms close to myself. I still don't trust him or Brian - by the look in Tim's eyes, I think he can see this. I'm not sure what he must be thinking about it, because after a few more exchanges of words with my parents, Tim hangs up the phone.

     "I'm sorry, Coraline." He shakes his head, raising an eyebrow. "It looks like you're going to be stuck here with us for the next few hours...alone."

Why he adds this, I have no idea. For the moment, I am preoccupied with correcting him.

     "Cora. I like to be called Cora. You don't hear me calling you "Timothy," do you?" I state, before going to get something from the cabinet. Finding a box of honey buns, I pull one out and nibble at it for a few minutes, while staring at the floor. Being in here alone with Tim starts giving me an eerie feeling. I don't know why, but I feel like there's something less than good going through his head. That, and I don't know where Brian is, so I feel even more off.

Before Tim can say anything, I cut him off with "I think I'm going to go watch TV," and then cart off my barely-eaten snack cake to the living room and plop myself down on one of our couches.

     About an hour and a half or so into my TV watching, one of those "breaking news" broadcasts comes on in the middle of one of the cartons I've been sitting through.

It starts out with the general intro: "We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to bring you this breaking news.." Which I was just about to skip over to see if there were any newscast-free channels available to watch, when it started getting interesting.

     "Seven people have gone missing in the last few days. There have been no real clues as to who is responsible for the disappearances, though several eye witnesses have stated that they saw the same thing: 'A tall, pale figure, wearing what looked to be like some sort of a suit.' There were further reports of people in the areas of the abductions having heard high pitched, staticy sounds, feeling sick at random, or losing several minutes of their memory.

Local authorities are still searching for the missing people, and assure us that things are likely not as bizarre as they appear to be. They have put out a "Be on the Look Out" report for each of the people who've gone missing. Police are also warning people to stay inside their homes...and to avoid going into the woods at night.

     No further information has been given at this time, though there have been a few witnesses which have suggested to authorities that the main perpetrator of the kidnappings may have had help. As I have been told, there are at least two other suspected individuals which may have something to do with the disappearances, that have been seen in the area. They are about average height, and look to be about--"

From behind me, the TV clicks off.

     I don't get to hear the rest of what the news lady has to say, because Tim shut off the television. When was he able to get the remote..?

"....I think you should probably rest. Watching all of that..frightening..stuff isn't good for you."

     There's something about his tone that sends shivers up and down my spine. I can feel the hair sticking up on the back of my neck, and I almost want to run away. My nerves are on high alert, until he smiles at me and adds "Besides, I'm sure you'll want to be awake for when your family comes home. Watching that stuff before trying to sleep won't do you any good anyway."

With that, I am ushered off towards my room with the glass of hot cocoa and second honey bun that Brian brought for me.

. . . 

     By the time I wake up again, the rain has started to slow down almost to a stop. After laying in my bed for a few long minutes, I sit up and turn the knob to my purple fan towards the zero place. Each tick is even slower than the rain hitting the ground outside. For some reason, I still don't hear anything. A single glance at the digital clock by my bed tells me my parents should have been home with the kids by now - the deafening silence greeting my ears tells me that they still haven't. 

Which is odd. I was sure Tim said mom and dad would be home soon...

     As tempted to call for one of them as I am, my gut tells me not to. Even though I am supposed to be safe here, I still can't help but to feel like one of those girls in horror movies. Not the ones in ridiculous dresses and high heels that they can't run in. The ones who know better, but are somehow still stupid enough to call out "Hello?" or "Is anybody there?" and then wonder why they're getting their head chopped off in the next scene. 

Instead, I try to be as quiet as possible. I'm glad that I did, because the closer I get to the kitchen..I swear I can hear either Brian or Tim talking to someone on the phone about something in a very hushed tone -- Something..I don't think they wanted me to hear. 

     "You can come soon...her family isn't going to be a problem much longer... And we can leave the back door open, if you want." 

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