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Three hours had passed and while I’d made some progress unpacking my kitchen, it felt like there was a shadow in every corner of my apartment and that the damn walls had eyes. I kept hearing noises. Not house settling noises. But creature noises. Like movement.
I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to sleep that night. I wasn’t sure how I could even stay there. Or if I should stay there. What if someone was living in the walls? In the attic? It happened in movies literally all the time.
I couldn’t call Cash. He would turn around, pack up my stuff, and move me back into his house for the next decade. I may be scared to be alone, but I didn’t want that either.
“You’re fine,” I tried to tell myself firmly. But my voice trembled and I swear, it echoed back at me. The apartment still sounded hollow without my stuff being completely unpacked.
There it was again. The scratching. The jiggling. It was too big to be mice.
I edged toward the sound. It stopped. I stopped. It started again.
It was like it knew I was approaching. Like it was an intelligent life form.
Yanking open the blinds I expected a demigorgon to be hovering there on the other side of the pane ready to steal my soul, but all I saw was wavy glass and darkness.
Then without warning, I heard a growl.
With exactly zero hesitation, I called MacKay.
After I screamed, that is.
He answered on the first ring. “Hey, what’s up? Everything okay with the apartment?”
“Help,” I blurted out. “There’s something alive inside my apartment and I’m terrified and I can’t call Cash because I just gave him a lecture about how mature and independent and safe I am.”
“Something in your apartment? Like, what? A spider?”
“No, like a demon or a psycho killer. I hear scratching and rustling and growling.” It was distinctly above me. I wanted to look up but I was too afraid. “It’s coming from the attic, I think. I swear to you, if I look up and blood is dripping from the ceiling, I’m going to die right on the spot.” I glanced down at my pajama pants. “Maybe I should get dressed in case I die of a heart attack or I’m murdered. I would really hate to be found in pajamas with bananas on them.”
“Faith, you need to calm down. Maybe it’s bats.”
“Bats?” I shrieked. “Is that supposed to make me feel better?”
“Yes. Bats are harmless, unlike demons or psycho killers.”
I had grown up in the country. I knew wildlife infiltrated houses all the time. I wasn’t necessarily afraid of bugs or snakes or small rodents. But I had never lived alone. My fear was spiraling. “You’re right. Does that mean I have to go look?”
“If you want to find out what it is, yes. But if you are genuinely worried it isn’t an animal, and is a person, you should call the cops.”
“The cops? What if I’m wrong and it’s just bats? I’ll be so embarrassed.” Which was ridiculous. “I’ll be the new girl in town who couldn’t handle herself.”
I was sure my family would not want me to be murdered because I was worried about being embarrassed in front of the cops. But neither looking myself nor calling seemed like a great idea.
“Do you want me to come back there?” he asked.
I closed my eyes and bit my lip. I should say no.
But I didn’t. I opened my mouth and said, “Yes. I’ll give you anything you want if you come back.”
“You don’t mean that,” he said, sounding amused. “I’ll turn around at the next exit. I’m only twenty minutes south of you because I had dinner with Ian.”
“Okay, good. Thank you, MacKay. What am I supposed to do until then? Should I arm myself? I haven’t unpacked my kitchen knives yet. I don’t know where they are.”
“The idea of you wielding a knife is a little unnerving. Stay away from the knives and just stay on the phone with me.”
That instantly made me feel better. “Great. Thank you.” I took a deep breath. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. You can always call me. I want you to call me. You’re important to me.”
