𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝

𝐈𝐈.

Chapter 2 - I'm Left Unsupervised and I Have to Suffer the Consequences
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Let's just get to the point; I'm kind of stuck in a sticky situation.

It's been an hour or two since the hoodie guy left his spot. I let out a breath of relief until I realized Tim put on his worn down corduroy jacket. Dread filled my lungs as he declared that he was going to investigate the case of the hoodie guy. Before I could say anything, he waved his phone at me and said he would call the police if anything escalated; and to not call him unless it was urgent. He also told me to stay in the house and to not come looking for him. Even if he was gone for days.

Obviously, a statement like that caused a chill to run down my spine, but I decided it was best to listen to him. His dark and urgent eyes told me I didn't have a choice. Random hooded guys standing in my yard weren't exactly my forte, anyway. No offense to my brunette colleague or anything, but if the hoodie guy is connected to... Marble Hornets... somehow, then that's Tim's mess; not mine. I'd like to live life as trauma-free as possible, thank you very much.

So, I found myself pacing around the house (after locking all the doors) for about 30 minutes or so. Time felt like it was barely ticking forward, seconds feeling like minutes and minutes feeling like hours. I couldn't swallow the feeling of apprehension that haunted my chest. The house was silent enough that a ringing noise echoed in my ears.

A rough routine burned itself into my mind. Pace up and down the hallway. Check the front door windows. Pace up and down the hallway again. Check the kitchen windows. Pace up and down the hallway once more. Check the back windows. And then repeat the process; over and over again.

I didn't realize I was growing tired of wandering around my own house until I almost collided with the couch. Figuring that a small break would help ease my mind, I decided to settle into the couch cushions and take a few deep breaths. The plush material that cradled my body felt foreign to my stiff muscles, and I tried to ignore the popping noises of my joints. Instead, I focused on breathing; slowly in through my nose, slowly out through my mouth. Wait a few seconds, then again. In through my nose, out through my mouth.

I continued this a couple of times in an attempt to calm myself down. And, admittedly, it was sort of working. My shoulders were relaxing. The feeling of apprehension flooded out of my chest with every breath. Something tranquil swirled in my lungs. Without thinking about it, I closed my eyes.

Everything was going to be fine. Tim was going to find out what the hoodie guy's deal is and return without a scratch. There was no need to get so tense over this. It was probably all some misunderstanding, or an innocent prank performed by a few college students. Besides, even if things went awry, Tim could handle his own. And he said he would take his phone with him to call 911, just in case. I was panicking over nothing.

I took another deep breath.

Everything is fine.

That's when I heard a noise from the basement.

My entire body froze. It was very feint. I probably wouldn't have been able to hear it on any other day. But it sounded crystal clear in my current state;

A creaking noise.

And not the type of creaking noise that came with an old house, either. I was used to those types of noises. This creaking noise caused the hairs on my neck to stand up. It wasn't just the creaking of wind blowing on the side of the house. It wasn't just the creaking of expanding and contracting plywood.

It was the creaking of an old door's hinges.

The basement door.

I wanted so badly to believe it was just my imagination. I was tired, after all. Or maybe just too on edge. But the back of my mind was screaming at me. Something was there. Someone was there. No matter how hard I tried to convince myself otherwise, I couldn't ignore how my spine tingled, or how my blood turned to ice. I couldn't ignore how it felt like the room's temperature dropped 10 degrees, or how adrenaline shocked my brain.