Not Alone

 Not Alone

They were a family of four, having recently moved into a modest, old house on the city's outskirts, they purchased after years of living in rented accommodations and enduring landlords' whims and tantrums. The early days were busy unpacking and setting up their belongings. They were filled with excitement in arranging the household items, toys, and books in their very own house. His wife and daughter were super thrilled, eager to buy new curtains, paintings, and a dollhouse.

The neighbourhood was quiet, with only a few other occupied houses nearby. The children had plenty of space for running and playing. They could now chase each other without being bullied by the grumbling old ladies. They enjoyed the tranquillity of new place, away from the hustle and bustle of the downtown life.

One chilly evening, he was sitting in the room with his son, discussing the future plans for renovating the house and buying a new car too. Their chat was disrupted by an unusual sound emanating from a corner of the drawing room. His wife and daughter were out for shopping, and only the two were at home that time. At first, he brushed off the feeling, but soon it became impossible to ignore. He felt an unsettling presence, as if someone was groaning in the drawing room. Driven by curiosity and a sense of something amiss, he walked out of the room to enquire. To his utter shock he found a girl, about ten years old darting into the another bedroom.

Astonished, he called out to his son, "did anyone come to the house while we were here?"

The son also had a glance at the strange girl hurling herself into the room. He shook his head, eyes wide open with astonishment and fear. "No, Dad! No one came as I know. Who is she?"

Panic crept-in as they realized that someone had entered in their home, which was locked from the inside. They cautiously peered into the bedroom to look for the intruder. There, on the bed, sat the same girl, her eyes ablaze with an unnatural red-yellow hue, staring at them.

"Who are you?" He demanded, in his trembling voice. "How did you get in here?"

The girl let out a blood-curdling scream, her startling voice echoing throughout the house. Both, the father and son bolted out of the room hurriedly, with their hearts pounding in the chests. They locked the main door from outside and anxiously awaited his wife and daughter to return.

Minutes felt like hours as they waited anxiously in the growing dark, outside the house. When the wife and daughter returned, he hastily recounted the harrowing encounter. They were equally astonished and grappled with fear and worry. Together, they mustered courage and ventured back into the house, determined to understand the situation. In the living room, they found the girl sitting on sofa, her hair dishevelled and face deformed in a monstrous expression. She stared at them with an unnerving intensity of hatred.

They stood at the gate, awestruck and silent for a while. He then pulled out his phone from the pocket and attempted to contact some known neighbours. But all his efforts to make contact were thwarted, as none of the calls connected, as if someone were interfering with the mobile signal. Suddenly, the girl screamed at in a chilling, commanding voice. "Get out of the house! This is my place; I am staying here forever."

Fear and helplessness further overwhelmed them. His wife, mustering all her courage, stepped forward and pleaded, "We have purchased this house with our hard-earned money and meant no harm to anyone. The previous owner didn't tell us we would be sharing the house with someone."

"That's not my concern. You leave this place now". The little devil growled.

"Please listen," his wife pleaded. "You may stay here, but please, let us live also and do not harm or frighten us. We have nowhere else to go now."

Girl’s eerie stare persisted in the deafening silence. Wife repeated her request in hapless voice. This time, the girl rose slowly from the sofa and muttered. Her voice resonated with a sinister tone; "Let me ask my mother."

They gripped in more despair and fright, listening her words and sensing the approaching worst.

They followed her in dismay and helplessness, their steps filled with dread and curiosity. As they peeked into the bedroom, they met with the spookiest shock. An old, bulky, and hideous couple was sitting on the bed, their eyes mirroring the girl’s terrifying red-yellow gaze. The girl stood beside them, completing the ghastly tableau. Suddenly, the ugly creatures rose from the bed and stepped towards the door, they stood at.

All of them frozen at the door with the eyes open wide in horror, as the ugly devils came closer, all they started screaming in fear.

Suddenly, he awoke to the sensation of his wife's hands patting his face insistently, her voice a mix of anger and concern as she yelled, 'Why on earth are you screaming like this? What's wrong with you?' His frightened eyes fluttered open, only to see the surprised and irritated face of his wife hovering over him. A sigh of relief escaped his lips as he realized that he was in a dream and now safe and awake. He gazed into her fiery but beautiful eyes, then closed his own, desperate to banish the lingering visions of the ugly devils haunting his dreams.