A peculiar tale

Abraham Portman

Zoe's POV:

I am currently organising the shelves in the supermarket that I work at, called 'Smart + Aid'. Jake, my older brother, works here too, he is currently organising the adult diapers into a wall-like structure. I hear talking but I don't look up, until I hear laughter and then I look up to see Jake's wall of diapers fall to the ground. I see a bunch of kids in his year walk away laughing, and I roll my eyes at their behaviour.

Shelley then walks over to us both and tells us we have a phone call, it turns out that it was our father and he needed us to go and check on our Grandpa, Abraham. We all get into Shelley's car, myself in the back, and begin the journey.

"Thanks for the ride, Shelley." I say, she smiles to me.

"So, how come you have to go deal with your grandpa?" Shelley asks us.

"Our dad couldn't get out of work." Jake replies.

"I didn't think he worked." Shelley replies, I smile at her. She's never afraid to just say what's on her mind, and that's a great quality. I then see Jake attempt to get something out of his pocket.

"I'm just gonna call Grandpa." Jake announces. He then calls his, but I can only hear one side of the conversation.

"Hey, it's Jake." "Grandpa, did you take your pills today?" "Yeah, dad took it, all right? For safekeeping. It's okay." Jake then pulls the phone away from his ear, I assume that Grandpa hung up.

"God bless him. What's his deal, Alzheimer's?" Shelley asks.

"Dementia." Jake replies. From then on I put in my headphones and zone out the rest of the small talk here and there.

~*~

We then pull up into Grandpa's street and I notice that it seems foggy. Suddenly, a man materialises in the smoke and Shelley has to swerve the car to avoid him. As we go past I look to him and thought I saw white eyes.

"That guy gave me the heebie-jeebies." Shelley comments, I nod in agreement. We then pull up to Grandpa's house, myself and Jake get out.

"Holler if you need me." Shelley says from the car, we nod to her. When we get to the door, we notice that the lights are out, Jake starts knocking on the door while I walk around the back.

I hear Jake walk through the house, after using his keys, but I don't notice him come towards me. I'm too focused on the back door, the screen ripped. I stand and stare at the door, while Jake rushes and calls for Shelley.

"Shelley!" He shouts.

"What's going on?" She asks.

"Someone broke in." Jake clarifies.

"I've got a 38 in my car, wait there." Shelley replies.

Jake then walks back to me and puts a hand on my shoulder, I look to him but then notice a flashlight lying on the ground by the woods. I nudge Jake, and together we walk towards it. Jake reaches down and picks it up,but he then shines it on his hands and they are covered in blood. I gasp.

We then walk through the woods, until we come across a body on the floor. "Grandpa!" I shout, running up to him, Jake doing the same. I kneel down next to him and turn him over, I gasp when I notice that he doesn't have any eyes. Jake rushes to find his phone.

"Hi, 911? Yeah, I need the paramedics. It's at 2040 Palm Circle. My Grandpa..." But Jake drops the phone when Grandpa grabs both mine and his wrists.

"Grandpa." I say.

"You have to get away from here." Grandpa says. "Please. Listen. Go to the island. Find Emerson. The postcard. Go to the loop. September 3rd, 1943."

"It's okay. Just don't move. There's an ambulance coming." Jake reassures.

"I know you think I'm crazy. But the bird will explain everything." Grandpa says. "Will you do this, Tygrysku? Păsărică? Promise me?"

"We promise, yes." Jake and I say in unison.

"I thought I could protect you both. I should have told you both years ago." Grandpa says, but then he takes his final breath. Grandpa's hand falls limp from my wrist and I fall backwards on my bottom, beginning to cry while Jake attempts to shake him awake.

We then both hear rustling in the trees behind us, I turn to see something there, it looked to be a large monster with a height of 2 men, with no eyes and tentacles as tongues, the rustling continues as it walks closer. Shelley then comes out from the trees.

"Shelley behind you!" Jake shouts, Shelley shoots her gun, and I see the thing run away.