Unknown fears

Homichlophobia

Rain pounded against Lillian's bedroom window. It had been raining all day. The woods down the street were hardly visible through the fog. Lillian had just turned fourteen. High school would follow her likely boring summer, which, even then, was a few months away. Lillian sat on her bed, doing the fall break challenge that her school had assigned. It wasn't mandatory, but 1st prize was a tablet. At least that's something. She thought. Her parents hadn't gotten her a phone. Maybe next year, they always said. All she had was her crappy old computer, which could hardly run anything.

After twenty long, mind-numbing, frustrating minutes of math, Lillian decided to get herself a snack. She dragged herself out of her room and down the stairs. She walked into the kitchen, only to find her twelve year old sister, Ivy, digging through the fridge. Lillian waited patiently for Ivy to get what she wanted and leave. Ivy did get what she wanted. Lillian's slice of chocolate cake from the night before. Ivy slammed the fridge door and turned to leave. "Hey, that's mine," Lillian said, blocking the doorway. "Mom!" Ivy called. "I didn't even do anything!" Lillian protested, hearing her mom's bedroom door open. "What's going on?" Their mom asked. "That's my cake, and Ivy's trying to take it," Lillian explained, trying to keep herself calm and her explanation concise.

Her mom looked to Ivy. "Um... My blood sugar's low," Ivy said, tearing the box apart after lazily attempting to open the styrofoam box the correct way. "Mom! How would she even know if her blood sugar's actually low?" Lillian asked. She knew Ivy hated needles. "Ivy, put that down. I'll go get my monitor," their mom said, returning to her bedroom. Ivy looked around, then she bent down and licked the cake. "Ew, Ivy! Why would you do that!?" Ivy yelled. Her mom came out of the bedroom with a small case. "Here, sis. I don't want this anymore," Ivy said, handing Lillian the shredded box. Lillian frowned. Their mom shrugged and went back to her room. Lillian sighed, then dumped her cake in the trash. Stalemate... Lillian thought. Lillian had lost her appetite. "Hey, could one you guys get the mail?" Their mom called from her bedroom.

Lillian glanced at Ivy, who turned and ran towards the stairs. Lillian sighed. "I'll get it!" She called. She went back upstairs to her room and threw on some clothes. Some of her classmates lived on her street, and she didn't want to be seen in her pajamas. Lillian went back downstairs and to the front door. She pulled on her raincoat, which was hanging next to the door. She opened the door, and was surprised by how loud the rain was. Lillian went outside and closed the door behind her before much rain could get into her house. She slowly made her way to the mailbox, careful not to slip. She made it to the mailbox and retrieved the magazines and letters. Normally, she would've shuffled through them, but it was far too rainy for that today. She went back to the door and pulled on the handle. It didn't open. She tried again. It was locked.

Lillian groaned. "Ivy! Mom!" She shouted, pounding on the door. No response. Lillian felt something tap her shoulder. Her heart rate sped up. "Hello?!" She shouted, banging on the door some more. She made her self believe that the tapping was just the rain or a stick that had blown off a tree and happened to hit her. She felt something that made her blood run cold. Hot breathing on her neck. Lillian spun around. No one. "Is someone there?!" she called, wanting to sound calm but unable to help her yelling. She heard a whispering to her left. She turned. She could still hear it, but she had no idea where, or who, it was coming from. She walked down the driveway and onto the sidewalk. The whispering sounded like it was only a few feet in front of her.

She took a few small steps forward. It still sounded the same distance away from her. She kept walking. She would have dismissed it as wind, but it sounded so much like a person that she couldn't deny it. She kept following it until she reached the edge of the woods. She'd always liked the forest, but now it unsettled her. The fog made it difficult to see. "Hello?" She asked. The whispering had faded, and the only sound that remained was the rain. She felt the sudden urge to enter the woods. She didn't know why. She walked further, not thinking about the danger that she could be putting herself in. She suddenly felt the mail get snatched out of her hand. "Hey!" She called, looking for whatever had taken her mail. The urge had disappeared, and she was left with just anger and fear.

She decided losing a few magazines wasn't a huge deal, and she turned and ran out of the woods. She went back to her house, up the drive way, and to her front door. She knocked. Ivy opened it. "What took you so long?" She asked, opening it enough for Lillian to squeeze in. "Why did you lock me out?" Lillian asked, slipping off her raincoat and hanging it where it was. "Lock you out? I was in the bathroom," Ivy answered. Lillian figured she just locked herself out, and she went back to her room. She sat on her bed and did more math. She found that the more she did, the harder it became. She decided that was enough for the day. It was around seven in the evening. "Dinner!" Her mom called. Lillian went back downstairs. "Thanks, mom," Lillian said, cutting herself some lasagna and dumping it into her plate. "Yep. Where's the mail?" Her mom asked. "Mail? Oh, uh... It blew away, into the forest. I couldn't find it." Lillian said. She figured her mom wouldn't believe her if she said an invisible being snatched it from her.

"Lillian! That mail had our address on it!" Her mom yelled. "It's not a huge deal, mom. Anyone who finds it would probably be from our neighborhood, and the rain probably smudged it anyway," Lillian said, sitting at the table. After eating, she watched TV for a while, and then she went back upstairs. She brushed her teeth, then went back to her room and flopped onto her bed. She fell asleep almost immediately. She was awoken by the sound of a door creaking open, then shutting. The front door. It was around two in the morning, and everyone was asleep. Lillian heard subtle footsteps walking upstairs, then down the hallway and towards her room. She could hardly see, but she could tell when her bedroom door opened. A tall, bony figure stood in doorway.

"I found you."

Homichlophobia: fear of fog