Nightscape

Not Her

  As a kid watches TV by his dining table, eating his cereal. The news is playing in the background, reporting that a few hikers have gone missing by a nearby hiking trail. Her mom, having a conversation on her phone. She seems to have plans to go hiking today with her friends. Having heard that, the boy tries to warn his mother about what he has recently heard on the news by pointing at the TV. But as his mom looked at the TV, the news seemed to have just ended. His mother looking at the TV, having no idea. What his son is pointing at, tells him to get ready for school.

They both get to the bus stop to wait for the school bus. As the school bus arrives, the boy hesitates to get on and looks at his mother. His mother kisses him on the forehead and tells him to have a good day.

After some time, school ends. He gets home, no one seems to still be at home. He finds a note by the kitchen counter that says that there's food in the fridge that he can just reheat in the microwave.

A few hours pass by, It seems his mother has still yet to come home. He calls his mother to check-in, but she didn't answer. He tries a few more times, but to no avail. About to cry, he hears the door opening. He looks to see his mother by the door. In relief, he rushes to the door to hug his mother. The boy expecting a response, the mother just stares blankly in the distance. She just puts on an uncomfortable smile and pats his head. His mother just walks past him. The boy trying to communicate with his mother. But his mother just responds with a nod or a soft grunt.

They both go to bed. Thinking maybe his mother just probably had a tiring day. He tries to not think about what happened and tries to fall asleep. As he falls asleep, he feels something kind of heavy on his chest. Like something was about to attack him. He was on edge. Feeling something was about to attack him, he jolts awake.

Breathing heavily, He feels like something was staring at him. Like a bunch of needles just poking him. He looks at his mother... Fast asleep. The boy tries to grab his mother's phone and heads towards the bathroom and locking the door behind him. He tries to call the police.

Then he heard something shuffle outside the window, he goes to check it but sees nothing. An officer answers the call. The officer asks what seems to be the problem. The boy tries to convince the officer that someone might be impersonating his mother.

Then suddenly, the doorknob starts to shake. Someone is trying to open the door. The boy breathes in slowly trying to calm down. Then tries his best to ask as calmly as possible, "What do you want?". Then the knocking began.

The officer said that they'd be sending someone his way now. The boy pleads to the officer to arrive faster. Louder and louder, it became banging on the door. The officer says they'll be on their way. The banging on the door suddenly ends. For a moment, the boy takes a sigh of relief.

Then the window starts opening slowly, creating a loud and slow creaking sound. The boy slowly turns to face the window... Only to see nothing to be there. The shower curtains seem to have moved a bit, sort of like "something" was shuffling behind it. The boy filled with dread, feels his stomach turn. As he faces the shower curtains, he extends his arm out to reach for the curtains.

A shadow comes lunging at him out of the curtains!...

Or so the boy has imagined in his head it to be. Heavily panting, He opens the curtains with extreme haste. With only nothing to be there. The officer still on the call with him asks "If he's ok". He tries to reassure the officer that he is.

He then hears a tapping above him and a loud thud following after that behind him. As if something huge has fallen behind him. He then hears a low growl behind him, something is breathing down upon his neck right now. He turns to see a monstrous creature so vile that it terrifies him to his core. It has his mothers face but its mouth is so wide, it's dislocated. It's teeth so huge and sharp. Arms so long with hands so big that it's long nails seem like claws. I T L O O K S I N H U M A N...

As the boy screams, what seemed like his own mother, now chomps down into him. Blood splattering everywhere on the wall. The phone drops, the officer in the call asking what has happened. But only silence...

The next day, what was once the house of a small family. Now a crime scene. The cops find nobody or any other evidence what so ever that might've caused this. The only thing they do have is the dried bloodstains of a child all over the toilet walls. The detective calls it to a close, only to call it yet another missing person's case.

But before the detective leaves, she catches a glimpse of what seems to have been the family outside the window. Just as she was getting a closer look, a car passes by. Only for no one to be there.