Queen solomon, the unwise[ A Horror Story]

A Little fear; Stranger things(2)

In an engulfing darkness suffused with stifling air, Jane and Caleb breathed together, listening and hearing nothing but the deafening sound of silence.

"The only call I received," Jane continued, voice quavering, "was from Jerry-I had been trying to reach him all day-and after that, I couldn't contact anyone else, especially because someone-Caleb, how did you get in here?"

"Jane, Jane," Caleb grabbed her shoulders and she began squirming, shaking her head, whimpering. The woman wasn't making any sense.

"Just, just tell me."

"The front door---Jane!"

Scrambling up, blinding panic had Jane groping toward the front door in a house that, over the years, she had grown accustomed to and had developed a keen sense direction, whether daytime or at night. She knew it would be locked even before yanking down the cold brass in her grasp, but continued despite, gritting her teeth. A moment later she was pounding on the metal, indifferent to the pain vibrating through her hand.

"It's locked," Jane said in resigned despair when a light shone and Caleb's footsteps came down the hallway.

"No calls," he was saying under his breath, reeling from utter disbelief. As though in the thrall of a really bad dream he couldn't shake, Caleb brushed Jane aside and tried for himself. It was jammed. "What's going on?" he began, "We did come through here, Jane, I swear it. At first I thought it was locked, then these birds---"

"Let's get Mark and go upstairs." Jane said, starting to move away, "Now."

Caleb grabbed her arm. "What do you mean get Mark and go upstairs?!" he gritted out, "He needs medical attention. You need medical attention. The only place we should be going is to the hospital, after which you'll explain to me what on earth happened here," he turned to the door again and began fiddling with the handle.

"It's not going to open, Caleb," She touched his taut arm, he shook her off, "Just trust me and do as I say."

"Trust you?!" Caleb snapped at her in the darkness, undeterred, "I can't even recognize you! I can't tell if it's last stage aids or cancer you have. I find out only my outgoing calls were logged, no missed incoming calls from you today! We get chased by these crows that came out of nowhere, and and we find your apartment trashed, blood everywhere. I thought," his breath caught, "I thought you were dead. Then you emerge from the darkness like a cadaver out of a horror movie and attack us! And all you've done is mumble nonsense!" He held his head, "There's also this damn headache!"

"Mommy?" a feeble voice called from upstairs. It was Jeffrey's.

"It's all right, baby," Jane responded, raising her voice. "Just a minute."

"They didn't go to school?" Caleb asked.

"It's in the middle of the night," She said through clenched teeth. He kept insisting on her faulty sense of time, "Why should they?"

Caleb took a long, deep breath. "Jane," his voice had an undertone of impatience, someone trying to keep it together, "I need-

"Please, just do it." Taking his phone, Jane began walking towards the living room, barefoot slapping tiles. "Mark is still lying down there. I'll explain everything."

Reluctantly, he followed her, and after he'd hefted Mark over a shoulder, Jane, illuminating the way, led them up and into the children's candle lit room. The air grew lighter, a change Caleb was thankful for.Beside his bed, huddled on the floor, Jeffrey cowered in fear of his brother who had both hands and feet bound and was slumped on his bed, sleeping. He sprang to his feet when his mother entered and ran into her side, hugging a leg.