Touched by the Fear

[23]

The faint sound of the doorbell entered into her dream and grew more persistent as it echoed throughout the quiet house. Hollis was pulled out of her soundless sleep, and she stirred in bed, groggy from the dream that still remained in her mind. At the sound of voices, she opened an eye and clumsily reached towards the nightstand for her phone. As she hit the button the screen came to life, illuminating the dark room. She squinted her eyes at the brightness yet forced herself to check the time.

Twelve-thirty, she read and sighed, quickly turning the phone off. The room was plunged back into darkness, one that didn't take long to adjust to. Who's here so late? She asked herself. At the question, her thoughts turned to horrible ideas and panic nestled into her heart, making her blood run cold. Hollis sat up, trying to ease the rapid beating of her heart but it wouldn't slow. Not even a little bit. Swallowing the fear that threatened to paralyze, she pushed the covers off of herself and instantly felt the chill on her exposed skin. Despite the shivers, she climbed out of bed. Her eyes went to the window that overlooked the street. There were no flashing red and blue lights, which brought a wave of relief over her.

Now that the initial shock and panic started to ease, curiosity took its place. She went to the door, opening it a crack. The sound of a conversation downstairs crept into her room. The voices were low but she could make out a bit of what was being said.

"We were this close, Grant. You can still help us," a woman's voice, filled with urgency, said.

"I'm not doing this. Not again," Grant answered. There was a note of finality to his words but the woman didn't relent.

"So you'd rather this person, this monster, run free in town?" She asked, incredulous. "Look at all the people who could've been saved. Innocent people," she argued. "More will get hurt."

Grant stayed quiet. For a while, Hollis could hear nothing. But then the conversation picked up again.

"I know you're reluctant," another voice said, male this time. "We just want information. That's all."

Grant chuckled dryly. "Right. Because the last time I gave you information...," he trailed off. "The answer's no."

"The last time you helped," the woman started, "you prevented a lot of bad things from happening."

"Prevented?" Grant asked. His voice rose, filled with incredulousness at the word. "I betrayed my friends!" He shouted, the loudness scaring Hollis. "I - You... I was stupid when I trusted you. I blabbed information, thinking I was just letting off some steam only for that to be used against me. Against them."

"Yeah, well," the woman said and Hollis could picture her rolling her eyes; indifferent to what Grant had said. "Think of all the people you helped."

"You can do that again," the male pressed. "Just tell us what –" But the roar of an engine drowned his words out, leaving Hollis clueless on what he wanted to know.

"Look, you know what these people are capable of," the woman said.

"I also know what you're capable of, Kate. I'm not helping," Grant said. "Now get out," he said.

The voices retreated until the only sound was the door closing. The light downstairs turned off, plunging the house in darkness once more. Footsteps sounded on the stairs, creaking under the weight as Grant walked up. Quickly, Hollis closed the door and returned to bed. Thoughts drifted in her mind, questions about the conversation she had overheard and what information those people wanted. The woman's voice had sounded familiar as did her name but her tired mind couldn't place it. While the thoughts stirred, tangling around each other, she drifted off to sleep.