Page 10 of Come A Little Closer

My creative juices were well and truly flowing, and I was having so much fun coming up with different ideas and ways to implement them that I felt like I was having the best luck in the world. In just a few days, I’d gone from sleeping on a futon and being damn near broke, to living in a gorgeous, historic house all by myself and I’d checked my bank balance earlier. Things were definitely looking up after the bonus I’d received for signing up on such short notice before the festival.

It really felt like my life was finally coming together, and as the wind blew through my hair while my fingers flew across my keyboard, I truly believed it was blowing away the bad juju that had been following me around most of my life. Freeing me from the constraints of my upbringing once and for all.

As the storm picked up, so did the creativity levels of my work. It was almost like I was racing forward through time, floating above the plantation and physically seeing what needed to be where. Since it also allowed me to see where there would be dull spaces, it inspired me to think of things to fill them with.

Maybe some of the spirits who lived in this house had been creative people. It certainly felt like I was getting some otherworldly help. I was on fire—until suddenly, the power went out.

A gust of wind ripped across the property. I heard a slight whir and then there was nothing. The lights in the plantation house in the distance, in the garden, on the perimeter, and even the yellowish porch lights I loved so much flickered and then they went out.

A shiver shot down my spine and my extremities went cold. There was only one thing I was truly scared of in this world, and that was the dark. Not just a darkened room. Those were fine.

My fear was of the pitch black. The empty kind of darkness that made me realize how small I was on this big plantation all by myself. Goosebumps broke out on my skin and I just froze, hoping the power would come back on.

I didn’t even have my phone with me. All I had was my laptop, and right then, while I was happy for the weak light it provided, it did little to illuminate anything outside its little bubble.

More lightning cracked and another gust of wind tore through me. The grumble of thunder that followed suddenly sounded exactly like that ominous warning I’d dismissed before. I trembled and curled in on myself, knowing I should probably go check if the power had simply tripped, but I was not quite able to convince myself to get off the swing just yet.

For the last couple years, I’d grown used to having people around me. At work while I’d been slinging drinks or presenting tours, and even at home with my roommates, there had always been someone else nearby.

Now, however, there was no one and my confidence was waning fast. As the night went on and the storm howled, I was seriously starting to wonder if I could swing staying in this big house all by myself.

I tried getting back to work, but when that didn’t go anywhere, I decided the best thing I could do was to go to bed. The sooner I fell asleep, the sooner it would be light out.

It took a few minutes of convincing myself before I finally managed to slide my feet forward and put them on the porch. As soon as they touched the floor, I gripped my laptop, jumped up, and made a run for it.

My footsteps pounded across the hardwood floors, the light of my laptop barely enough to keep me from running into all the furniture that now seemed so grotesque when it’d been so beautifully antique before. Icicles grew in my stomach as I fled upstairs, raced down the hall to my bedroom, and hurriedly slid into bed.

Thankfully, I’d put on my pajamas and showered earlier. I hadn’t brushed my teeth yet, but screw it. No one would care about my dental hygiene if the dark got me tonight.

As I tucked the covers tight around me, burrowing my head into the pillow, my heart galloped and a cold sweat broke out across my brow. Someone is watching me.

Another voice in my head scoffed at the thought, and those two parts of my subconscious went to war. What were you thinking, moving in here all by yourself? Relax, it’s nothing. Probably just the storm. Nothing? Ha. Keep telling yourself that. Do you have any idea what can happen to people in darkness this complete?

I groaned and closed my eyes, willing sleep to come get me, but it didn’t. My internal battle kept raging. If I’d had a car, I would’ve been climbing into it right about then. I was sure my former roommates wouldn’t mind me spending another night there.

Just as I thought I was losing it, I heard a noise downstairs. A door opening and closing, and I sat bolt upright in bed. Footsteps followed the sound of the door and I swallowed a scream. Grabbing an old candelabra as a weapon, I leaped out of bed and crept downstairs to investigate.

Happily armed with my phone now as well, having taken it off the currently useless charger in my bedroom, I switched on the flashlight and screamed at the sight of a figure turning the corner just as I came down the stairs.

Lightning lit the room as the figure cursed. “Fuck, Tallulah. It’s just me. Stop that. It’s blood-curdling.”

I blinked hard and my screams died down when I realized it was Niall. “What are you doing here?”

“I thought you might be fearless, but what exactly were you going to do with that candelabra? Beat me? Swing it straight through a ghost?”

I shrugged. “I might’ve beat you with it. I still will if you keep creeping around my house in the middle of the night.”

“Technically, it’s my house,” he reminded me, squinting when I lifted the flashlight to shine into his eyes. He held up his hand to shield them, glowering into the light. “A thank you might be nice, seeing as I came all the way out here to make sure you’re okay.”

“Why?” I asked, completely confused. “Are you making the rounds on all your employees?”

“Only the ones that live on my property. The power is out all over the city and surrounds. I thought that since this is your first night here, you might appreciate a little backup if you lost power. I know you don’t have a car.”

“I’m fine,” I said quickly, lowering the light and conveniently neglecting to mention how happy I was that he was here. I didn’t want to be alone and I didn’t even care that my boss had come to check on me.

It was actually pretty sweet. The storm was still picking up and I felt infinitely better having him here. Rain lashed against the windows in never-ending sheets now, and I cocked my head at him. “Would you like something to drink? You had the place stocked for me, which I appreciate.”

“You’re welcome, but I’m alright.” He strode over to one of the arched windows and pulled away a curtain to stare into the darkness outside. “Unfortunately, I’m not even going to try driving off the estate in this weather, so it looks like you’re stuck with me tonight. I can’t believe how much worse it’s already gotten.”