Resolve // Van McCann

4. Being Watched

There was an impending storm on the way, bringing torrential rain, wind, thunder, and lightning. I stared out the window at the clouds rolling in from the ocean. They were dark and menacing, making it seem like it was late in the day when in reality, it was only noon.

My parents were long at work and they warned me the power could go out so I gathered all the flashlights and charged everything just in case. I also went a little crazy in the kitchen cooking so we had food to eat in case the power went out.

It's been weeks since I last saw Van and I never called him. The thing is that I'm used to being on my own. I've come to explore the town on my own, discovering all the shops and restaurants the town had to offer. My favorite place was the harbor. There was something about being by the water that I loved. I've always dreamt of owning my own boat and sailing away.

Within an hour or so, I could hear the rain pounding on the windows. The trees swayed dangerously and it was downright ugly outside. It felt nice to be inside. I spent the afternoon applying to more jobs. I've been called in for a few interviews and am just waiting to hear back. The lights were flickering and I was starting to get worried. The news said we could experience gusts up to 50 mph which was concerning. I could hear the wind howling and saw a flash of bright light followed by a clap of thunder.

I absolutely hate thunder. I think it stems from my fear of being struck by it. Growing up, I've heard of people being struck by lightning, and although it's very unlikely, I was still scared nonetheless. And to make matters worse—the power went out. I waited for it to come back on but it didn't.

The house was dark and eerily quiet except for the wind and the rain. I moved closer to the windows which were still letting in a lot of light and contemplated what to do. I grabbed my phone and texted both my parents that the power just went out and that I was fine. My dad responded telling me to take care and if I needed anything, I could go to a place with power. According to my dad, his work still had power. Lucky him!

I saw a dark figure move in my peripheral vision and immediately turned my head towards it but saw nothing. My heart was pounding and I could feel my hairs standing on end. Did I imagine that? I didn't hear anyone come home and it should just be me. My thoughts went back to how this house could be haunted for all I know.

I decided to investigate and quietly crept in the hallway towards the direction I saw the figure move. I strained my ears to listen for movement and heard nothing. All that was down this hall was the bathroom, laundry room, and office. As I passed by each door, I peered in and saw nothing. Last but not least was the office. I heard something being set down on the table and froze in fear. Someone was definitely in the office. I wish I brought a knife with me for protection but I didn't actually think I'd find someone in the house.

I forced myself to look and saw someone around my height with their back to me. The person was holding our family photo, studying it. The person was definitely male with short dark brown hair. He was wearing a dark blue button up shirt with black jeans. The person set the photo down and turned around suddenly and I got a good look at his face. I wanted to scream but my scream was caught in my throat. Instead, a strangled cry escaped my mouth. Is he—? No, that's not possible. I was getting lightheaded and lost consciousness.

-

I woke up on the floor in the hallway. I could feel throbbing pain in the back of my head and realized I must have hit my head when I fainted. Confusion consumed me. What am I doing here? What happened? And then it came back to me. I quickly got up to my feet and staggered to the office but the person was no longer there. Where is he?

Fear no longer gripped me. I was now determined to find him. He has to be somewhere in the house. I stuck my head in the bathroom and laundry room once again before making my way to the other rooms on the bottom floor. There was nothing. None of the windows were open and the doors were all locked. I began making my way upstairs. My quick search yielded nothing and I began to question if I really saw him.