"You have to eat!" my mother snapped as I pushed the plate away from me, "I did tell you I wasn't hungry" I replied. I jumped at the letters falling through the door, "its only the post youre so jumpy" my mother said crossing the entrance hall to pick up the post. She was right, for a week now ive felt as though someone has been watching me. Cryptic letters, calls with just breathing down them, things rattling outside and knocking on doors. "Post, im going to go and get some groceries for you. All your favourites" she told me grabbing her bag.
She kissed my head and left as the door shut behind her, my dad was in the garden. They've been here for a few days now, they think I need to be watched. Ashley is round everyday checking on me, I keep telling them im fine but they wont take that as an answer. I rifled through the letters stopping at one in a red envelope, I swallowed as I looked down at it. I pushed it away and pushed myself back from the table, I crossed the room and poured out a glass of water. My mobile trilled on the side as I looked at the number, the same unknown one that's been ringing me.
I declined the call as I reached for the letter on the table, I slowly prized it open and unfolded it. The glass in my hand slipped from my grasp as my stomach turned, my dad came running in. "I heard a smash" he said his eyes falling on the smashed glass on the floor. "Adam are you ok?" he asked, I shook my head rushing past him and running for the bathroom.
Once I was done I washed my face and looked down at my shaking hands, I shoved them into my jumper pockets as I left the bathroom and went into my room. I locked the door behind me as I slid down the door pulling my knees up to my chest, I pulled the crinkled piece of paper from my pocket running my fingertips over the words from newspapers stuck down on the lined paper. "Tommy isn't dead" the words said, this was some kind of twisted joke.
Tommy was gone, he was never coming back. Whoever this person was, they were seriously fucked up. If tommy was still alive then I would know, but he wasn't. I screwed it into a ball and threw it across the room, as if my head wasn't messed up enough already this just made it worse. My phone rang again, I covered my ears wanting to block out everything around me as I reached for my phone. The unknown number again, "leave me alone just leave me alone" I shouted down the phone but got nothing but breathing back.
I ended the call and threw my phone across the room, it hit the wall with a thunk as it shattered on the floor. There was a frantic knocking at the door and several raised voices as the sounds filled my head. I shook my head closing my eyes, "shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" I shouted as silence descended around me as I breathed heavily. "Adam please come out" my mothers voice said from the other side of the door, "just leave me alone" I sobbed. "Adam honey" she started, "no just go please" I whispered. I heard footsteps going down the stairs, I was left in silence just my sobs echoing round the room.
Some time later......
"Adam its Ashley, please open the door. Let me in" she said calmly, I ignored her and pulled the pillow tighter against my body. "I swear to god adam open this damn door now or i'll kick it down" she said hitting the door with her hands. I winced with every thud on the door, she wasn't going to give up. I slid off the bed and crossed the room, the lock clicked as I turned the key. Ashley pushed the door open as I turned and walked back to the bed, she sighed quietly shutting the door behind her and re-locking it.
She climbed onto the bed as I shuffled backwards my back hitting the board as I pulled my knees to my chest resting my chin on them. "Your dad said you were sick" she told me, I nodded in response not looking up from the bedding I was looking at. "How comes?" she questioned, "it doesn't matter" I muttered. He fingers brushed against my forehead as she pushed my fringe from my face as her gaze met mine. "Adam talk to me, your mother said you started shouting" she told me.
"It was all too loud, everything was too loud" I whispered, her eyes fell to my phone smashed on the floor. "You broke your phone" she mused, "it wouldn't stop ringing I just wanted them to stop. I want everything to stop. All the calls, the letters, the noises everything. Its too much Ashley, I cant deal with this everything is just messed up in my head then the letter. Whoever this is thinks tommy is alive, but he cant be Ashley he cant be" I said fresh tears running down my face.
She pulled me into her arms as I cried onto her shoulder. "Its ok adam, we'll find out who this person is" she told me. My breathing became gasps as Ashley looked at me, "adam?" she questioned. "I cant breathe" I said in between gasps as I felt myself getting warmer. "Adam calm down, you'll make yourself sick again. Just breathe" she said as I swallowed and breathed deeply. Slowly breathing became eaiser and I was left drained, light headed and feeling sick. "Im going to get you some water" she told me as she left the room. I heard the door shut quietly behind her as I rolled onto my side facing the window.
