"Do Not Say A Word " by Phoebe H

 

            It's October 12, 2023, and my family has just moved to Big Rapids, Michigan. I used to live in Northridge, California… however, my hard-headed dad decided it was best for us to move somewhere far and ¨ dispersed from modern society where people are the same¨, whatever that means. He also decided that it was best for my little brother, Daniel, to have a new scenery since he never really fit in at our old school. Some of the other boys even considered him to be an outcast. Myself, however, I’ve been able to work my way around my old school’s popularity system and have been able to get myself out of some categories.

 

Around 4 o’clock we arrived at our new house. It was a grand Dutch colonial revival style house but modernized to current standards. It stood tall with a great lawn that had flowerbeds filled with oleander blooms and fresh white daisies around the landscaping of the house. I never wanted to move here, but did I have a choice? I didn't want to leave my friends and family and go to this creepy little town that looked like Ted Bundy would live there. Coincidentally, the first encounter I had with people here, was with our neighbors across the street. They live in a pretty standard home… two stories, with a big driveway, and fair lawn space. At first, they were welcomed at their home distance like your typical next-door neighbor, however, I just feel like they're something wrong about them, as if they are trying to be so nice for a reason we don't know of.

 

I start to my room and it's a nice medium-sized space with a large arched window that looks out towards the lawn and my weird neighbor's house across the street. I knew I should've called dibs on the other room.

 

A little after 9 pm, I hear a knock at the door and look through the peephole to see the neighbors standing still with eerie smiles. No emotion. Just smiling. I quietly call my dad over and head to the top of the staircase where I can see the doorstep. My dad opened the door halfway to them, about to gather the typical “ Hello nice to meet you I-'' until they interrupted him and worriedly asked if they could come inside. They didn't even care to say hello or personally address themselves as to who they were. But there was this alarming look on their faces. Something about how they do not look sane because of how their sinister smile still stayed on their face as they kept asking. My poor dad, however, seeming concerned and extremely confused grew angrily adamant that they wouldn't tell him why they had to come into the house. They just kept on becoming more and more forceful that at one point the husband began to push on the door to open it further into the house. Ten minutes pass and my dad eventually gets them to leave. He kept saying that something was disturbing them and that the problem came from our house, yet there should be nothing to worry about.

 

I head back to my room after that weird disturbance and check on Daniel as he walks to the restroom.    “How's it going kid?” I say as he keeps walking past me. “Nothing. I'm just trying to get this sticker off this drawer. I wish we could've just gotten new drawers because now I have to keep using my drawer from when I had my transformer phase.” Daniel turns and motions to me the little transformer stickers that are packed dirtily on the plastic drawer. “I have a hair dryer, you can use to melt the stickiness on the back. Maybe you can use that?¨  I laughed. Daniel starts to my room as I walk to get the rest of the boxes in the hallway. After about 5 minutes of taking the boxes to my door, I noticed that I hadn't heard the hairdryer. Maybe he hasn’t found it? I open my door slightly to see Daniel still rummaging through the boxes that were previously in my room. I walk to the box near the window that says ¨makeup and hair¨ and pull out the hairdryer that was sitting on top of my belongings. I lift the dryer to his face and laugh saying, ¨ See it was right here, you just aren't looking in the right place.¨ He says nothing however and begins to grow pale with tears forming in his eyes. He's stiff with no movement whatsoever.

 

What is he staring at?

 

I slowly turn around towards the window looking out to the dark little area in the middle of the lawn and there it is.

 

There is a man.

 

Staring at me.

 

Watching.

 

There is no characteristic of this man, other than the fact that he has a tall broad figure with his head covered by a linen bag with chains around his face covered in what looks like blood.

 

But I can feel him staring at me.

 

I grow paralysed in fear. My limbs are at a halt, and I say nothing as I can't fathom what to do. I just stand there.

 

Two minutes have passed and we have not moved the slightest bit. No words. Just silence. The man still eerily stands motionless until Daniel says something underneath his quivering breath.

 

¨ I-Ive see-n hi-him bef-fore. ¨

 

The exact moment he says those words. Daniel immediately cries, ¨ HE’S GONE, HE DISAPPEARED,  HES NOT THERE.¨

 

What do you mean he's not here? He's right there standing in the same spot as me.

That's when Daniel finally moves towards me, until he falls; the back of his head first to the wall. At this point, he looks paler than ever and he’s practically paralyzed lying on the ground.

 

The man is in the room with us.

 

I turn around and see nothing except the space of my room then stare back at the window in the same place I still see the man standing at.

 

I look towards Daniel and see him still staring at the blank space behind me. “ Is he looking at me or you Daniel?” I say while trying to scramble my words until I immediately feel a blunt force of pressure right behind me. I fall to the ground and see the man's chained linen-bagged face only a few inches from mine. He puts his hand over my eyes and I start to feel his hands progressively starting to push on my eyes. During this moment I’m more than terrified, I feel like time has completely stopped and this moment is the last thing my soul will remember. I start to lose consciousness as his hands start to sink into my head, barely able to fight back. I suddenly feel the pressure of the man come off me and start to faintly hear screaming. I had no idea what was going on however, I gained the strength to at least get on my knees. I can feel the blood starting to rush out of my eyes trying to gain a reconnection. A few minutes later I finally regained my vision and saw Daniel and my dad sitting on the floor. The man is somehow gone, and to this moment, I still do not know what happened to the man as I lost almost all my senses.

 —

Days have passed and that night still haunts me every minute. I've hardly been able to sleep as well since Daniel decided it was best for him to be in my room due to his separation anxiety. My dad, who still hasn't told me what he did exactly to vanish the man, became more reserved in his studies than ever before. I've also found out that my neighbors coincidentally committed suicide on the same night only a few houses down from their own. Apparently, they did it in an execution style in the middle of the street. I head back to bed after doing my nighttime routine until I hear a thud at my window. I stop in my tracks.

 

I creep up slowly to my window, hoping that I do not see what my fears start to imagine. I look and see nothing outside. I even scan the area towards the sides of the lawn and only see my late neighbor's house and the large flowerbeds. I step back in relief looking down at the creaking wooden floors, until I look up again towards the window and see a reflection not of mine.

 

The man is right behind me.