Spooky Zone | Halloween-themed flashfiction

Premonition

The wind violently whipped the trees outside, determined to test their flexibility. It wouldn't take more to snap their limbs and drop them onto Sam's car. He tried to ignore how his house creaked as if it too swayed to the unforgiving gusts and hoped that since the trees didn't give way yet, his house could take it. It had to be stronger than an acacia.

His throat felt like sandpaper. Trying to sleep in this weather was pointless. Sam grudgingly left his warm bed to grab a glass of water. When passing by the living room, he noticed that the TV was on, stuck on white noise. He rummaged the couch cushions for the remote and clicked the red button to shut it off.

He turned to the kitchen but only made a couple of steps before the white noise returned. He pressed the big red button again, and the screen was black and quiet again. But he waited this time, wondering if there was something wrong already with this oversized toy he bought just a week ago.

He flinched when the static came back, even louder than before. The hair on the back of his neck stood up as shadows of tormented trees danced on the walls.

"Last time I buy a Visio," he murmured and approached the beast, wondering if unplugging and replugging it would solve the issue.

As Sam came closer, he thought he saw something in the static that oddly looked like a pair of eyes. He dismissed the thought but couldn't rip his eyes off the screen, the shifting shades of gray tricking his vision into believing there was a face there. Maybe it was an optical illusion, but the face started becoming sharper, forming an image of a bald young man. Maybe it was just his twisted imagination but these sunken eyes reminded him of serial killers - soulless, capable of anything.

The ding-dong of the doorbell disturbed the silent house and a high-pitched "eep" escaped Sam's lips.

He took a long breath and laughed at his embarrassing jitters. He blamed it on this weather. The moaning wind was spooky in itself. Add a jump-scare to it, and it was enough to make anyone squeak like a little girl.

The doorbell rang again and Sam ran over enthusiastically, curious who was visiting him at this late hour. The pretty woman next door appeared to be single. Maybe she needed help with something? He cracked the door just enough to peek outside while shielding himself from the cold.

"Oh, man. I'm glad someone's home."

Sam's stomach jumped into his throat. The young man smiling up at him was the same he had seen in the TV static.

"Could I come inside? It's freezing."

The man had his hands in his pockets and turned his back to the restless wind. The black leather jacket he wore was more decorative than functional.

"How can I help you?" Sam stammered, wondering if premonitions were possible.

"I hit a deer! A big buck with antlers and all. Just my shitty luck on a night like this. Can I use your phone to call a tow truck?"

Sam considered his options. What guy in his twenties didn't carry a cell phone with him? It was probably a lie. What if Sam's TV was trying to warn him against letting a serial killer inside his house?

A cold blast of wind snapped him out if his reflections and sped up his resolve. It wasn't worth the risk.

"Sorry, I don't have a phone. I just moved in."

He shut the door and clicked all the locks.

"No!" the stranger banged on the door. "I need help. What if you were in my shoes?"

He rung the doorbell a few more times while Sam braced his weight against the door, his heart hammering in his chest.

"Fuck this!" the guy yelled. "Fuck you!"

Sam waited a few minutes and released his guard only when his shoulder felt sore from pushing. He backed up a few steps, eyeing the door, fully expecting the bald stranger to ram through it, but he could only hear the wind wailing outside.

He took a long breath and chuckled. He sure knew how to spook himself.

He was still parched so he turned to the kitchen but stopped by the living room, seeing that the TV was still on. The static was now clear of any faces, but his finger froze on the big red button.

What if he had made the wrong choice? What if he had given that man a reason to become a killer?