CHAPTER 14

Aunt Laura, it's Sunday and it's twelve o clock on the dot, let's go somewhere, like the cinema or the beach or the park". Said Joshua, holding Laura's hands.

"I know Joshua but I'm really tired, yesterday, which was Saturday was stressful for me, had a lot of chores, restocking, and shopping to do".

"I know but you know you're leaving today, mum and dad are coming back".

"I understand but I can't go---".

"Please just do it for me, I never know when I'm going to see you again or when you are going to come again". Said Joshua, hugging and clustering himself all over Laura.

"Alright Joshua you won, it's true, I don't even know when I'm going to come around, so let's go to the cinema by two o clock, how about that".

"Yes". Said Joshua, with a feeling of excitement. "Then from there we go to the park".

"Alright if you say so". Said Laura, patting his shoulder. "So how about you go upstairs and dress up while I go round up with the chores in the kitchen, then freshen up, how about that too".

"Yes Aunt Like, I like that".

"So go on". Said Laura, smiling.

"Yeah, thank you". He said, running hastily on the staircase.

"Be careful with the stairs Joshua, don't fall".

"I know". He said as his voice echoed upstairs.

In a moment, she heard a buzz as it sounded like a phone put on vibration mode. "Could that be my phone, I've told Joshua to stop setting my phone on meeting mode". She said, going around the house in different directions, looking for where the sound was coming from.

She checked the dining table and saw her phone, she picked it up from the table, the screen was red and it buzzed.

"Hello, Laura". Said a feminine voice.

"How are you today?".

"Im fine".

"How was your night".

"Not bad".

"Let's play the game".

"Awww, not now". Said Laura, with a feeling of a shrug.

"But you didn't play the game yesterday".

"Ohh, I was so busy yesterday with the house chores, I didn't have time for you but I've gotten to episode five, I'm almost entering episode six".

"Alright my friend".

"Okay as soon as I come back from the cinema with Joshua, I'm going to play you, I cannot wait to play episode six".

"I love you my friend and will be best friends forever and ever".

"Okay cool". Said Laura giggling.

"Can I go with you to the cinema".

"I don't know". Said Laura, giggling.

She dropped the phone back on the dining table and headed back to the kitchen, but her movement was interrupted by a sound, she heard footsteps from the living room.

"That must be Joshua". She said to herself. "Joshua I've told you to stop playing around the living room, one day you will hit the television". She said, speaking loudly to the room.

She entered the living room but no one was there, then she heard it again, footsteps running around the living room, then she heard the voices of children playing and lurking around the room, she stood for a moment in terror and looked carefully around the room, her heart began to beat faster, then the boutique of flowers on the dining table fell to the ground, it was as if someone had knocked it down, She heard footsteps walking across the staircase, she went to the staircase and looked at it vaguely, no one was there, then the footsteps became louder and louder around the house for a moment and then it stopped.

"Joshua quit running around, it's not funny". She said.

She looked around the staircase and saw footprints covered with blood on it, she stared at it in horror and walked hastily towards the dining room, she looked at the table as she stared at it anxiously, then she bent down to pick up the flowers.

All of a sudden, she heard a noise, a dying sound like someone suffocating and gasping for breath, it was coming from her right side, she stopped picking the flowers and looked over to her left, she saw a man staring at her and gasping for air, his face was peeled off revealing his bloodied flesh, and his eyes were plucked out as blood dripped out through his dark eye sockets, his body was pale and decomposed, and his hand was shattered revealing bloody flesh with bone, like someone thrown into acid, and black flies flew from his mouth as he gasped for air.

"Come play with me". Said the man stretching out his hands.

The man began to crawl towards Laura and she limped backward.

"Don't run away, don't be scared". Said the man.

Laura began to have goosebumps all over her body as the hairs on her skin began to stand up.

"No", she said, screaming in terror.

In a wink, the man disappeared into thin air, Laura stood up from the ground and looked around the room, the man wasn't there, she looked around the second time, it was normal and everything was back as it was before.

"Aunt Laura, you were calling me, sorry I was busy in the bathroom". Said Joshua, standing on the stairs.

"No it's fine, don't worry you can go back to your room". Said Laura panting.

"Alright". Said Joshua, heading towards his room.

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Zach sat on the couch as his head positioned sideways on the pillow, he held his phone on his hands, then suddenly the phone rang, he checked the screen, it was Mrs. bullock, he picked up the call.

"Hello Zach". Said Mrs. Bullock.

"Hey Mrs. Bullock".

"How are you?".

"I'm fine".

"So how's it been, I know it's been a long time".

"Yeah, I know, I've been fine".

"Sorry I haven't called you since last week Thursday, I've been busy".

"Yeah I noticed, there's no problem".

"I just called in to check on you".

"Oh, thanks".

"How's work".

"Work is fine".

"Laura told me that you were doing this internship at a computer office".

"Yeah I am, I love computers so I just ventured into the field". Said Zach, standing up.

"So how's Laura, have you heard from her, I've been calling her but she's not picking up".

"No, I've been calling but she's not picking, maybe she's busy with other things".

"Okay, I've been trying to hear her voice, I just wanted to tell her that me and my husband won't be coming into Portland today, we're coming back tomorrow".

"Okay".

"That's what I've been trying to tell her on the phone but maybe you can help me tell her when you get a hold of her on the phone".

"Sure, no problem, I'll do that".

"Alright".

"How's your husband by the way".

"He's fine but he's not with me at the moment, he went to get some foods and toiletries".

"Alright, say hello for me, tell him Zach is greeting him".

"Alright, I will".

The phone call hanged up on the other end.

"I guess I better call Laura and tell her".

He held the phone in his hands and pressed the contact button, all of a sudden, the screen of the phone became blank then it made a buzzing sound, he stared vaguely at it for a moment, wondering in his mind what was going on with the phone, was it malfunctioning?, He didn't know, as different thoughts raced through his mind, then a red color displayed on the screen.

"Hello Zach, how are you?". Said a soft feminine voice.

"Oh, you startled me, I thought my phone was malfunctioning". Said Zach, with a feeling of relief. "I'm fine".

"Are you ready to play the game".

"No, not yet".

"Why not".

"its because I'm a bit tired, I was really busy yesterday with some friends at the beach".

"That's wonderful".

"So I'll play the game later, I'm already in episode six, although episode five was kind of scary, it creeped me out, it was about that couple trying to escape from the maniac's house, kind of weird though but it was fun".

"I'm glad you like it".

"Hey I don't even know your name but you know mine, what is your name?". He said to the voice.

There was no response from the phone as he stared at it vaguely, waiting for a response, all of a sudden, he heard a knock on the door.

"Who's that". He said, talking loudly. "I'm sure it's Laura, maybe she forgot something in her room and came to pick it up". He said, walking towards the door.

He peeped through the door hole and stared at it, there was no one there, he only saw cars parked outside by the road.

"It's probably just this kids messing around, like they did last week". He said to himself.

He walked back towards the couch, as he was about to sit down, he heard a knock but this time around, it was louder like an angry man knocking on a person's door to collect his debt.

"Go away, little children, go play with some toys".

He heaved with a sigh and headed towards the door, he peeped through the door hole but there was no one there. "My God, this children keep on banging on our doors in this neighborhood, it's been happening since last week, I'm going to call the police now". He said, walking towards the couch to pick up his phone.

Then the knock on the door grew louder. "This is not some amusement park, now go home". He said, shouting through the door hole.

The knock on the door stopped and Zach was relieved, he headed towards the couch when the knocking on the door emerged again, but this time, it grew louder and louder.

"I'm warning you for the last time". He said, shouting through the door hole.

He looked through the door hole and saw a strange figure in form of a woman, her hairs were tangled and it dripped out water like someone who just came out from the pool, her eyes were plucked out and blood ran through her eye sockets, her tongue were long and resembled that of a snake, her head faced downwards and her skin was rotten and decomposed, Zach stared at the figure for a moment in terror as different thoughts raced through his mind, then suddenly, the woman raised her head up slowly as her neck made a cracking noise and she stared vaguely towards Zach from the door hole.

"Let me in and let us play". Said the woman in an angry voice.

Jack walked hastily to the couch and tucked the pillow around him. The knock became louder and louder, then it stopped. Then suddenly, he began to hear footsteps around the room along with the laughter of children playing and lurking around as if in a playground, the footsteps became louder and louder, in a minute, he saw blood all over the room. Zach became horrified, every hair on his skin began to stand up as goosebumps appeared over his body.

"I said let us play". Said the strange woman, sitting beside him on the couch.

Zach screamed and he fell on the floor, he looked towards the couch and the woman was gone, he looked at his side and saw multitudes of black widow spiders moving around in different directions, he gasped, stood up hastily from the ground and sat on the couch as he saw the spiders moving hastily around the house. In an instant, the spiders disappeared and everything was back to normal, he stood up from the couch and walked around the room and it was just like it was before.

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Laura sat next to Joshua with a pack of popcorn tucked around his arm at the cinema, they sat at the back row as the seats were tucked and built in rows, just a few people sat on the seats and the large screen displayed a man entering into the ship.

"This is fast and the furious 9, right". Said Joshua.

"Yeah".

"I love this movie".

"I'm glad you like it, Joshua pass me the popcorn". She said.

"Sure". Said Joshua, handing over the popcorn to her.

She dipped her hands into the popcorn and felt something moving around her fingers, she looked inside the pack of popcorn and saw spiders in it, she threw the popcorn on the floor. She looked around the cinema but it was empty, she started to feel an eerie sound and atmosphere.

"Where is everybody". She said to herself.

She looked at the screen, it was colored black and white, then she heard a cracking sound, it was coming from the screen, she stared vaguely at it and saw a hook tearing the screen apart, then a man wearing a black coat, pants and putting on a black hat like an undertaker in a wrestling ring emerged from the screen, he had a hook attached to his hands, his face looked pale and decomposed and flies erupted from his mouth.

"Laura, come out and play". Said the figure, walking towards her.

Laura stumped and startled around the seats, staggering backward.

"Come to me Laura, don't run away". Said the man.

She ran through the seats hastily in horror, she looked towards her left view and saw multitudes of black widows coming towards her, as they moved hastily all over the cinema in different directions. She ran into what looked like a cemetery, as if she had crossed into another dimension or traveled to another portal.

"What is this place?, I thought I was in the cinema just now". She said, looking around as she wondered how she came here.

She fell into a pit and when she opened her eyes, she found herself in a coffin with different body parts of skeletal bones and lots of millipedes and centipedes crawling around the coffin, she banged and screamed for help in the coffin as the creatures started to crawl around her body.

"Aunt Laura". Said Joshua, tapping her on the shoulder.

"Yes Joshua". She said panting.

"Are you okay?". He said.

"Yes I'm fine".

"You threw the popcorn away but I picked it up". He said, pointing towards the floor.

"Joshua, I'm i-, I'm fine, just give me a minute, I want to go use the restroom, I'm coming". She said, putting her right hand on Joshua's shoulder.

"Alright".

Laura stood up, headed towards the door and walked across the hallway, she saw a man dressed in a red outfit with the icon "CINEMA" written on the shirt, she approached him.

"Hello, do you work here?".

"Yes I work here, what can I do for you?".

"I'm going to the ladies restroom, which way is it?".

"Its right this way, Just walk straight down, then turn towards your left". Said the man, pointing towards the hallway.

"Thanks". Said Laura, nodding her head.

She walked down the hallway and made a U turn to the left and approached a door with a large icon displaying "LADIES" drawn with a female body, she touched the door knob, opened the door and stepped into the restroom, she walked towards the mirror and looked at her face.

"I don't know if I'm going crazy". She said, staring at the mirror.

She turned on the tap, splashed droplets of water on her face and turned off the tap.

"I'm not going crazy, I'm alright, everything is okay". She said to herself, still staring at the mirror as a small tear gushed down from her eyes.

"I'm okay, everything is okay, I'm not dreaming, neither am in some déjà vu or some dimension". She said, looking down at the sink.

She grabbed the tissue beside the sink, tore some out and cleaned her eyes, she then cut another part out and wiped her face, then she lifted her hands towards the automatic hand dryer as it dried her hands in a minute, all of a sudden, her pocket was vibrating, she touched it and felt her phone, she dipped her hands into her pocket and brought out her phone, she checked the screen, it was Zach, she picked up the call.

"Hey Zach, I've been busy".

"Yeah I know I can see that".

"How are you?".

"I'm fine".

"And how's Joshua"

"Joshua is fine, infact we are at the cinema".

"Oh really, what film are you guys watching".

"It's fast and the furious 9, it was Joshua's idea".

"That cool, anyways Mrs. Bullock has been trying to reach you, so she got to me".

"Oh yeah, I've been busy with work in the house, what did she say?".

"We just talked then she told me to inform you that she won't be coming to Portland today, it's going to be tomorrow".

"Oh wow, I was thinking today".

"Yeah me too, she said it was work and other things that's why".

"Oh okay".

"Laura it's everything okay, your voice seems shaky".

"Yes, I mean no, I mean I don't even know anymore". She said with a feeling of heaviness.

"Laura you can talk to me".

"Yes I know, it's just that, I think I'm starting to loose my mind". She said, putting her right hand on her head. "Like I'm going crazy, seeing things that aren't there". Said Laura.

"Yeah, me too, I had the same incident, I was here but it was like I wasn't there, like I was in some sort of dimension".

"Really".

"Yes". Said Zach.

"Yeah, the same thing happened to me too". Said Laura.

"You know what, when you come home, we are going to figure this whole thing out". Said Zach.

"Alright Zach thanks".

"Because I just saw the strangest thing too but when you come, we'll talk about it more, so don't think about it".

"Thanks".

"By the way, how's the film going".

"It's fine, the film is almost ending, I just left the cinema, I came to use the restroom".

"Oh alright, so just take care of yourself, okay, don't think too much".

"Okay, I will".

The phone call hanged up from the other end.

Laura put her phone into her pocket and looked at herself in the mirror, then she stepped out of the restroom and headed towards the cinema. She stepped into the cinema and walked slowly to her seat, sat down and placed her right hand on Joshua's hair.

"Is everything okay". Said Joshua.

"Yes everything is fine, your mum isn't going to come today, she's coming tommorow".

"Oh, and I was expecting mummy today".

"Yeah, she's been trying to reach me but she got to my brother and told him, so I'm sorry kid".

"Alright, it's just that I miss her".

"I know, me too". said Laura, patting Joshua on the head.

"The movie's almost ending, I want to go home after this, I don't want to go to the park anymore".

"Alright Joshua, from here we are heading home".

"Okay, I want more popcorn".

"Alright just hang in here while I go get more popcorn". She said, patting his shoulder with her right hand.