DISTURBING

The Noise downstairs

I woke up in the middle of the night to a noise on the first floor.

It's been a week since the accident happened, but I still have nightmares reliving it all over again.

I was home alone that night. The whole family had traveled, but I decided to stay. The house had its lights off. It was pitchblack.

Initially, I thought it could be the cats. They're great at making noises in the middle of the night.

Convinced it was nothing to be worried about, I turned to the other side of my bed and hugged my pillow attempting to go back to sleep, this time focusing on good things so I wouldn't return to the same nightmare. My attempt had once again been interrupted by a louder noise, as if some large furniture had fallen to the floor.

'Oh my god. The cats are breaking the whole damn house' I thought to myself, as I stood up.

As soon as I passed through my attic bedroom door and was about to shout from the top of the stairs for the cats to stop the noise, I looked to my right side and I saw a silhouette. One of the cats was there looking at me, but I couldn't see it, except for its shape.

"wait a sec...one single cat couldn't have done all of this loud noise alone!" -I thought while looking around.

"Meow!", I looked to my left side and I was surprised that my second cat was also looking at me. Both cats were on the same floor as I was. Right there. Just next to me. Quiet. At that point, I never wish so hard I had a third cat.

A wave of chills took over my body as an intense cold went down my spine. I started to sweat. My heart pounded like it was going to jump out of my mouth. Now I heard what seemed to be steps sounds towards the kitchen. The wooden floor would reveal every step that anyone could make in that ghostly silent house. I heard the refrigerator door opening and the sound of dishes being turned and stirred, as if someone was preparing some kind of meal.

I decided to go down very quietly walking on tiptoe. I armed myself with an umbrella I had in my room. The socks I wore cushioned the pressure of my foot against the wooden floor. My only ounce of courage came from the possibility of the family returning before the vacation week they would have spent in Florida.

Maybe they came back starving and needed to eat something, I tried to comfort my own thoughts. Nobody would talk or say anything and the noise in the kitchen was now closer as I went down the stairs from the attic to the second floor. The second floor was only illuminated by a flash from the street spotlight outside that came through the window. That made me realize my hands were dirty and it seemed to be dried blood. The kind of dried blood that has been there for hours. Dirty and dark. It made my fingertips sticky and reddish.

"Did I cut myself with something while I was sleeping?" I thought to myself, now in the middle of the stairs.

When I looked down to the first floor, I saw the front door wide open. A few things were out of place. And finally, I saw it.

It was a shadow of a person walking around the kitchen. The shadow reflected in the living room floor directly where the stairs ended. I thought about calling for family members to find out if it was someone I knew, but then I decided it would be better not to. After all, if it was an intruder or a robber trying to steal something from the house, he would know that someone was there and it could try to do something with me.

What a fear I felt.

Now I could hear my heart jumping in my chest, faster than a car race. It was actually the only sound I could hear besides the stirring of the dishes in the kitchen.

I had to do something, especially because I was there to protect the house.

I inhaled deeply and then I held my breath like someone preparing for a long dive into the ocean. I went down, still walking very slowly and quietly.

Finally I got to the kitchen. The person was not able to see me from the way I came from.

It was a man.

He had his back to me and he seemed to be eating something with one hand while drinking something else with the other.

I had goosebumps all over my body. He didn't even notice when I got there.

He turned around to reveal that he had a glass with milk in one hand.

Terror washed over my face when I realized that he was a whole copy of me. Its appearance was identical to mine. However, he looked slightly older and had a short dotted beard delimiting his face from the neck.

I asked before he could say anything "Who are you?"

The glass slipped through his fingers and shattered on the floor. That was not enough to get him out of what seemed like a trance state. He was just as scared as I was. His face had no expression. A tear came out of his eyes.

''Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!", He kept saying that. "I didn't make it! I tried, but I didn't make it!''

''Who are you ? I'll call the police! "I said, as I took silent steps back.

Now he knelt on the floor between the broken glass and the liquid. His knee started to bleed out and the blood mixed with the white liquid on the floor. He raised his both hands to his face while he cried.

"And it's all my fault, forgive me, brother! I love you so much !''

"Brother?" I thought. "Who are you?"I asked now in fury when I realized his vulnerability.

All I could think was 'It must be just another crazy home invader.'

"Get out of my house, NOW! Or I'm going to call the police."

The man paused. Looked at me. Hesitated and said, "Your house?".

His expression changed. He seemed to feel pity and empathy. He got up and came to me. I took a few steps back until my backs reached the wall.

He was so close that I could feel his breath. That made me notice a scar next to his right eye.

He said "It's going to be okay. She told me it would be difficult, cause It's been a year"

"You'll always be my little brother. My twin brother who I love so much..and... and I still feel you in this house.. every day.'', I frowned but he continued, ''That night while we were traveling for our vacation in florida. A year ago. I dodged that dog that was on one side of the road, but I was unable to dodge in time for that truck that was coming in the opposite direction"

"You were sitting just where the truck hit... I am so sorry, brother!"

"What are you saying?" I asked confused and frustrated. "Let me go!" I screamed as he tried to touch my face. His knees were still spitting blood down his legs. I ran away from him and locked myself in the bathroom on the first floor.

When I turned the lights on, I came across my reflection in the mirror. I was all bloody. There was a giant dent on my forehead. My face was disfigured.

As I looked into the mirror, I relived everything. The accident, the lights, the dog and the truck.

I had never stayed at home. I had gone along. But I had never made it back.