The Halloween Cannibal

Chapter 6) Windows

"Cry little sister" by Marilyn Manson
***

I stayed in the playroom with the kids while Ben scoured the house. I had encouraged him to bring a weapon on the chance that he found someone lingering in an area of the large home, but Ben merely rolled his eyes at my suggestion. He was placating me by even looking, not at all taking this seriously. I didn't want to scare the children, but I made sure to stand close to a lamp in case a stranger burst into the room and I needed a makeshift weapon. "Still nothing," shouted Ben ten minutes later as he continued his search.

By the time he descended twenty minutes later, the kids and I were up to our elbows in pumpkin guts. I shoot a look to him expecting him to say he had found or saw something bizarre only for him to shake his head at me. Nothing had been found. "Okay guys, go wash your hands and I'll start carving with the knife." The kids quickly exited the room to the bathroom across the hall, chattering about the differences between a happy faced pumpkin versus a scary faced one. "You didn't see anything out of place?" I whispered once they were out of earshot.
"Negative. Checked everywhere, including the closets and under beds."
"And nothing...?" I ask for total confirmation.
"Nope," said Ben. "Oh, just a chainsaw wielding maniac hiding in the master bathroom. I told him we were probably baking cookies later if he was interested." I rolled my eyes at his wide grin. "C'mon, we're out in the middle of nowhere," he said with a snort. "What were you expecting I'd find?"
"That chainsaw wielding maniac in the master bedroom. Duh."
He chuckled at my sarcasm, and I instantly looked away. This felt too much like the old days between us when we could make a joke about anything.
"Well, there's no one in the house. You're welcome."
The Stern's landline started ringing while Sarah and Lauren begin an argument regarding what faces the pumpkins should have. "I've got this," said Ben with a sigh. "Guys, there's three pumpkins. Each of you can pick your own face to put on them-"
"I want them all to be happy," Lauren whines uneasily.
"You're such a dummy," chastises Sarah as I reach the phone on the second ring. There are two phones in the house, one on the kitchen counter and the other in the living room. The kitchen was closest for me. I was more than happy to answer to avoid the meltdown the girls were sure to be starting soon.
"Hello, Stern residence."
I'm met with silence through the receiver. But it's not true silence, I can tell someone is on the other end. You can hear heavy panting. It's slow and very deliberate. Turning the phone over to check the ID. Unavailable reads back at me.
Clicking the phone off, I return to the kids. The phone blares again from the kitchen. I look back at the phone and I wonder if I had hung up before someone had been able to speak. I back to answer a second time. "Stern residence."

Yet again no one says a word in response. Breathing comes from the other end, but nothing else. "Hello..." I trail off, waiting for a response. Still, nothing is said on the other end. Even though no words are spoken, you can still hear the breathing. Painfully silent and slow, along with utterly deliberate. I waited a few more seconds before deciding to hang up once more. I hear Ben from the next room telling the kids how they were going to put a battery-operated candle into each of the pumpkins. I was nearly back to the playroom before the phone started ringing once more. I felt stupid I had yet again left the portable phone on the base in the kitchen. Slowly walking back, I watched the ringing phone in silence, now certain it was just someone making a prank call. Ben suddenly entered the kitchen and scooped up the phone. He raised an eyebrow as he watched me but didn't ask why I was glaring at the phone.
"Don't answer it," I warn as soon as he clicked the phone on.
"Stern residence," he answered.
"You shouldn't bother," I chastised. "Someone's been prank calling the last two-"
"Sure, hold on sir. It's for you," interrupted Ben, cutting me off to walk over to me with the phone. He didn't make eye contact as I took the phone from him. I felt stupid in the process.
"Oh." I reply dumbly. Checking the ID I see it's my father's number. "Hey dad!" I greet.
"Hey Cassie...Everything going alright?" His voice held gentle worry.
"Yeah, everything's great."
My dad yawned over the line. "So, Ben is there?" He chuckles lightly. My parents knew well enough that we haven't been friends for a very long time. "That must be strange." He sounded sympathetic.
"Yep...Story for later," I reply quietly, not really wanting to talk about Ben in front of him. Currently, he's in the hall overseeing the finished pumpkins the kids were holding. Each one now held a small white battery-operated candle on their hollowed-out insides. I couldn't be sure Ben wouldn't be able to hear me if I started telling me dad about the mix up of hiring us between Simone and Tom.
"Alright," said my dad. "Your mom and I are going to be out late tonight, so if we're not home by the time you're done-"
"I'll know you two are out egging houses or hard partying like the teenage scoundrels you are." I laughed, drumming my fingers along the perfectly sleek granite countertop.
"Exactly!" Dad replied while I hear my mom through the other side of the call. "Mom says hi."
I chuckle before realizing something. "Oh hey, why didn't you just call my cell?"
"I tried. Call was unavailable. I got worried it might have died on you and you forgot your charger again."
I was prone to leaving my charger home when I was out. Tonight, I managed to pack it along with me before leaving the house. But as I pulled the phone out from my pocket, I found it was at ninety percent. However, there was no signal in the upper right corner.
"Huh. The phone is near a full charged, I just don't have a signal."
"Huh," my dad repeated. "Must be the country interfering with reception."
"It's never given me trouble with the signal before."
I could hear my mom over the line lamenting that they were going to be late to her office party if they didn't get a move on. "We'll see how it's working tomorrow. Maybe it's time for a phone upgrade. I'll talk to you later, kid. Love ya."
"Love ya too," I replied a half second two slow before he clicked it off.
"Not too late to still go to that party," said Ben suddenly, helping the kids set the pumpkins onto of the large kitchen windowsill. But his words cause all three kids to look at me questioningly.