The Call

Chapter 1

I've always believed that monsters lurked in the dark night. They say the more you believe in them, the more they torment you. I've always wanted to meet the monster that lurked in my imagination, yet I never thought what I would do if I did meet it.

I grew up in the rural countryside, a century away from civilization. Even by car, it took an eternity to go anywhere. Growing up, my family had always been overprotective, since I was an only child. At night they locked the windows, doors, and cupboards, what they expected to happen within the cupboards, ways beyond. Thuds, creaks and shakes echoed through my house each and every night. Yet, no one knew what caused it. Over time, I grew used to the noises, the bizarre occurrences and what I assumed was a monster.

My monster.

At the age of eight, my father deserted me for an evening, a classic horror scenario. A kid is left alone, no one to look after them. Fearful of the dark outside world, always expecting a monster to appear behind every corner. Did anything happen? I can't remember. All I remember is seeing something move outside. All I remember was a knock on the door...

After moving out of my family home at the age of twenty-two, the creaky old thing missed me. And I missed it. A platonic love. Still terrified of those that go bump in the night, I moved to a city. A city bustling with life and best of all, lights. I managed to get myself a job, working as an emergency service dispatcher, sending the right people to the right places. A stressful career that led nowhere, but I enjoyed it. Something drew me to it, I'm not sure what did. I worked the night shift to get over my fear of darkness, the unknown, the monster under the bed. I worked for around three years, getting the normal calls, drunks, bar brawls and car accidents. Received a few random ones too, some were pranks and others felt too surreal to be true. Some nights... Some nights you wish you never got that call.

"God, this year has overstayed it's welcome." I sighed, grabbing a mug.

Pouring coffee out of the machine, into my kitten mug, stopping before it overfilled, splashing against the ceramic edges. I gazed over to the milk, someone had left it out of the fridge. Unscrewing the lid, bringing it up to my nose, inhaling the ungodly stench of sickness, the sour stench of milk. Holding back my instinctive reaction to gag, puke.

"Hey, Emms." Said a male voice, coming from behind me.

Jumping, I felt my mug slip between my fingers, spilling all over the coffee table. I looked over my shoulder, to see Carl, another responder. Dressed in his signature casual clothing, a black shirt, and grey jeans, but not the sort of grey that would suit the shirt. It was more snow white then ash grey, which is what I imagine the look he was going for. We had a dress code before Carl turned up, he complained to management enough to the point they gave up and let him come in dressing however the fuck he wanted. He was the only one not in uniform.

We'd been working together in the same station for over five months, but I never felt comfortable around him. Something always felt strange, maybe the way he made his coffee, maybe it was the daft way he brushed his chocolate hair, maybe it was the way he licked his lips after finishing a sentence. God that's so weird. He had the weirdest of faces, easily mistakable for an aged badger.

"Hi, Carl..." I replied, reaching over to a cloth, wiping up the spilled coffee.

"Spicing things up tonight are we?" Carl said, pointing to my mug.

"No, some asshole didn't put the milk back in the fridge." I said, disheartened.

"Whoops, my bad kiddo. That one's on me." Carl laughed.

I threw the damp cloth into the metallic sink, landing with a hollow thud.

"Of course you did." I said under my breath.

Wiping my mug down with a piece of tissue paper, I saw a reflection in the kettle, a body dressed in clothes as red as blood and dark as coal, staring at me through the reflection. Yet when I looked behind me, no one but Carl was there, and he wasn't the sort to wear bright colours.

Picking up the remains of my coffee, I carefully walked back into my office room, trying not to spill what little of the black coffee I had left. Half a dozen screens were affixed to the wall, each with various maps, phone numbers and cameras playing on each one. Three on the left, three on the right, they allowed us to keep track of who was where, and where they needed to be next. The left of the room was mine, the right? Carl's. While he'd only been in the office for a few months, he settled in pretty well. He brought in a box of his stuff on his second night here, a memoir of his home. A life he had when he could sleep peacefully before he heard the terrified voices, the gasps of agony and the screams of fear. Anyway, most of the time it ended up with a joyful ending... Most of the time.

I seated myself firmly in my chair, wheeling over to the headset I placed at the farthest right side of the table, away from my personal belongings. Placing it upon my head, adjusting it to fit my current hairstyle, a short ponytail. My favourite one from childhood.

Funnily enough, my Dad was always the one to style my hair, he had a knack for it. My mother, on the other hand, had no coordination with her hands. Mother was a weird one, she'd always been the one who instilled fear into me about the monsters in the dark. She was the one who told me the stories you tell your kids, don't talk to strangers, don't take anything they give you, etc., etc. And I followed them word by word, almost religiously.

God, I wish she stayed with my Dad before she left she handed me a teddy, a cute little blue and brown bear named Cuddles. Not sure why she named it that, but my mother was a simple woman. My Dad said she left us to be with someone else, he never said who in the end. Sadly, she never cared enough for me to warrant staying in my life. Her loss. Ever Since then, the monsters seemed to be a little more energetic with their actions.

Red lights flashed all over my work surface, bleeping in time with each flash. Waking me up from my nostalgia-fuelled flashback. A signal that it was going to be a busy night.

"Carl! Work time." I shouted. Smiling at Cuddles, who sat by my side each night, helping me through the tough times.

Carl charged through the door, nearly slipping on the marble floor, gliding over to his chair. Ready for action. As I was about to tap answer, I felt dread spread through my veins, knowing that this would be a tough one. Taking a deep breath, feeling a drop of sweat dribble down my face. I answered.

"Emergency Services, who can I call out for you?" I said calmly, falling into my script with ease.

Silence, the uncomfortable silence. I waited, hoping it would be a prank call. I could feel my lip tremble as I waited. Until finally I heard a muffled breath.