Stories for the Strange

The Kangaroo

"David! My earrings please!" Melissa whined in a rush.

Her husband, rolling his eyes carefully picked up his wife's diamond earrings handing them to her. She in return snatched them and ran into the bathroom, her heels clicking on the tiles.

"Honey we can't be late to our own party, would you relax please?"

"I'm more worried about Mrs. Asher getting into the brandy." She retorted.

"Is the sitter here yet?" Melissa asked stepping out of the bathroom. David helped her into her coat. "Downstairs helping Em into her pjs." Melissa took a breath and smiled. "Ok let's go."

She grabbed her purse and they went down the large white spiral staircase, the eye sore in the otherwise beautiful mansion. Hanna, the babysitter had Emily on her lap reading her a book. They both looked up.

"Mommy!" Emily ran up hugging Melissa. "Ok baby careful of mommy's dress." She helped the six year old off her. "Now you be good and head up to bed, I'll be home with daddy soon, ok?" Emily nodded running up the stairs.

"Sleep tight baby!" David called. "Now here's sixty and the kitchen is in there if you need anything." He smiled at Hanna handing her the cash.

"Oh and there's a baby monitor right here so you can hear her." Melissa added. "We shouldn't be home later than one." Hanna nodded. "I'm sure everything will be fine. How hard can a sleeping kid be?" She laughed. Melissa gave a nervous chuckle. "Ok David we're off."

He nodded giving one last wave goodbye and they both walked out. Hanna locked the door behind them and looked around. These people were loaded. She smiled happily never really being in a house with so much stuff. And not just junk either. Flat screens, and fish tanks, huge potted plants, and expensive furniture.

She explored the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine before sitting down watching tv. Hanna's cell rang playing 'Cherry Pie' telling the teenager that Chris, her boyfriend was calling. With a roll of her eyes she answered.

"I told you Chris I can't tonight!"

"Come on Han! I bet the place is insane right?"

A smirk fell upon her lips before she bit her lower one gently. "If I let you over here they'd kill me!"

"They aren't coming home till late are they?"

Another smirk. "I swear if you're not here in twenty minutes I am not picking up again!" She said knowing that was a lie. Within ten he was there kissing her on the couch. Hanna moaned pulling back.

"Shh! Her room is right up the stairs." Chris raised his eyebrow. "You mean the stairs that go on for a mile?" Hanna giggled hitting his shoulder and sipping her wine.

"Seriously Hanna when can we-"

"Shh!" She hissed cutting him off. Silence.  He looked at her freezing trying to listen.

"Hanna what-"

"Shhh!" She hissed again covering his mouth.

"Where did you come from?" Emily's voice asked through the baby monitor.

Hanna and Chris' head slowly turned to look at it.

"Did mommy buy you?" She asked. Hanna craned her head to the stairs. "Stay here." She whispered.

"Hanna wait!" Chris said in a hushed voice. "Hanna!"

The eighteen year old grabbed a mini statue and crept up the stairs to the little girl's room. When she opened the door slowly and flicked on the light a sigh of relief left her lips when all she saw was Emily sitting on the edge of her bed next to a pile of stuffed animals.

"Emily? Why are you up?" Hanna asked putting the statue on a table in the hall.

"Look!" She said pointing at a huge stuffed kangaroo sitting in the corner of her room. "I think daddy got it and it's creeping me out!" She huffed crossing her arms. Hanna stared at the ugly looking thing and sighed.

"Em come on just go to sleep ok? It's fake."

Emily crawled back in bed and Hanna shut the lights off going back downstairs.

"She was talking to a kangaroo." She chuckled. Chris smirked pulling her back into his arms. He started kissing her neck, rubbing her thigh.

"Hanna!" Emily whined. Hannah groaned looking at the baby monitor. "Hey let me try." Chris offered going upstairs. Hanna rubbed her neck looking at her phone and called David.

"Hey Mr. Milklavich, Hanna. Yeah. Um, Em is kinda scared, by this um kangaroo you guys-" Hanna heard a small crash upstairs.

She stood up gripping the phone.

"Hanna? Emily doesn't have a kangaroo...Hanna?" David asked.

The phone slipped out of her hand as her foot made one cold hard step towards the stairs. "C-Chris..." She called in a shaky voice. With every step up the staircase her heart beat went faster and faster.

Emily's door was closed.

Hanna never wanted to see that door again after the horrible things she saw in that room

Chris lay dead bleeding on the floor and in the corner holding a screaming, flailing Emily was the Kangaroo. Now Hanna could see it was a man, sitting in this little girl's room the whole time.

Hanna screamed as the bloody thing jumped out of the window with the little girl and that was the last time anyone has ever seen Emily Milklavich alive.