sat there on the edge of my little brother's bed and watched as he tied string around his bottom tooth then around his bathroom doorknob. "Lucas, it's not going to work," I laughed. He shook his head and evaluated the string to see if it was long enough. "I'm going to laugh if you hit your face on the door," I snorted. Lucas narrowed his eyes at me and took a deep breath. "Okay, you can close it now. " I rolled my eyes and lifted off the bed. Standing by the bathroom doorframe I quirked my brow at my brother. "Come on, Lillian! Just do it already." I chuckled and slammed the door as hard as I could. My little brothers' eyes widened as he jerked forward and went face first into the door. "I told you it wouldn't work," I laughed and helped untie the string.
"By gods! What was that sound?" my dad rushed into the room panting like he was out of breath. "I pointed at Lucas and the door. My dad gave a nod of understanding. "Son, that trick doesn't always work." My brother rolled his eyes and plopped on his bed. "I told him that," I stated. Dad walked over and sat down beside him. "I hate having baby teeth," my 9-year-old brother pouted. Dad sniffled and gave Lucas a sweet smile, "And I hate having adult teeth." My brother wiggled his bottom tooth and groaned. Dad patted his shoulder and stood up, "it'll come out when it's ready."
Lucas twirled around in the computer chair and logged on to his favorite video game. Dad and I left the room. Dad turned to head down the hall, but I stopped him, "Hey, dad?" He turned to look at me. "What's up, Lilly?" I fiddled with the hem of my shirt. "You've been watching the news, right?" I asked. Dad's smile faded and he adverted his eyes, "yeah...another child has gone missing. That's the fifth one this week." I glanced at my brother's door. Dad noticed and said reassuringly," Don't worry, Lucas will be fine." He gave me one of those genuine dad smiles, "everything will be alright."
Everything was not all right. That night I heard Luca's scream. He screamed so loud that it shocked me awake, tumbling face first into the hard cold hardwood floor of my room. I heard dad's feet stomping with speed down the hall. Rubbing my face, I lifted myself up and untangled myself from the sheets. I threw open the door and went straight for my brother's room. I skidded to a halt in the door frame. Dad was sitting on the bed holding a sobbing 9-year-old. "What happened? " I asked ,"is he okay?"
Dad glanced up at me with bags under his tired eyes, "he's alright, Lilly. He just got spooked that's all." I rubbed the tips of my fingers on the sore spot on my temple in circular motions, I let out a breath of relief. "Of what?" I asked . Dad looked down at my distraught little brother then back at me. "The monster," he sobbed, "the monster was on the ceiling staring at me." Monster? I sighed. Kneeling beside the bed, I steadied myself on the tip of my fuzzy duck slipper covered feet. "Lucas, there's no such thing as monsters." Wow, now I am starting to sound like dad. He sobbed again," it was going to eat me." I looked up at dad with concern. He closed his eyes for a minute then looked down at Lucas. "Son, nothing is going to eat you. Nothing will ever hurt you; I promise you."
I stayed with Lucas that night. It took eight hours cuddling him and singing his favorite songs before he went back to sleep. Dad knocked lightly on the door and glanced at us. "He finally went to slumberland? " he asked tiredly . I nodded, covering my mouth with my hand as I yawned. Dad looked seriously worried. "Dad? Everything will be alright, remember?" His eyes seemed lost and full of uncertainty. "Dad? " I asked , he snapped out of his thoughts and smiled . "Yes, everything will be alright. I did promise, you know." I nodded. "Well, I'm going back to bed, sweet dreams." I told him goodnight and watched as he closed the door and left.
Scratch. Scratch. I opened my eyes to the sound of scratching. Looking over Lucas, I checked the clock by his bed. It was already 5 in the morning. Scratch. Scratch. I squinted my eyes and looked around the shadowy room, hoping my eyes would adjust soon to the darkness. Lucas stirred a little in his sleep. Scratch. Scratch. I held my brother closer to me. "No. Not him. Find another and leave," I spat. Scraaaatch. Scraaaatch. I tightened my grip on Lucas and narrowed my eyes. Putting enough venom in my words as I could muster, I hissed, " Leave this house and never return." I waited. The scratching had stopped. Holding Lucas close, I closed my eyes and drifted back to sleep.
Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. I opened my eyes. The sun's rays shined through the bedroom windows, brightening the room. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. I looked over to see my brother still sleeping soundly. Scooting off the bed, I opened the door and left it slightly cracked open. I noticed dad walking out of the kitchen towards the front door. "Hey, Martin. Good morning, you, okay?" Mr. Reed is here. I made my way to where my father was. My old college professor stood on our front step in disheveled clothes . His eyes were swollen from crying and dark sagging bags could be seen clearly under his eyes. "She's gone, oh my god. Jackson, my little girl is gone." I stood beside dad. "Mr. Reed, what do you mean she's gone?"
Mr. Reed turned to face me, "my little girl, Tabby, we woke up at 5am to her screaming. When we went to check on her, she was gone." The scratching had stopped at 5am. I had told it to leave. What if I caused Tabby to be taken? "The police have been noticed, but .... but what If they can't find her? I've watched the news. I've heard the rumors around town. What if my little girl never returns," he sobbed. My dad patted his shoulder, "don't worry, I'm sure they'll find her safe and sound. Just stay positive." Mr. Reed nodded his head and thanked my father. We watched from the doorway as he shuffled across the street and closed his front door behind him. "Dad, did you hear last night?"
He glanced over at me. "The scratching, dad. Did you hear it?" He looked away. Turning away from the door, he headed back to the kitchen. I closed the front door and followed him. "You did, didn't you? Dad, it's happening again." He pulled a microwaveable meal from the freezer and popped in the microwave for 2 minutes. "I know." The microwave dinged. "It's just like when I was little." He took the meal out and closed the door. Pulling off the film he took a seat at the table. He looked up at me, "Lucas will be fine, Lilly. Don't worry." With that he didn't say another word. Sighing I left and went to my room.
Knock. Knock. I looked up from my book. "Yeah?" I said . The knob turned; Lucas walked in. "What's up?" I asked and laid the book down in my lap. He fiddled with his fingers, his eyes looking left and right. "Lucas?" He hurriedly came over to the bed and jumped up beside me. I knitted my brows, "is something wrong?" He shrugged. "Talk to me." He sighed, "I heard Mr. Reed. Tabby is gone. Do you think the thing I saw went to her house and took her?" I cocked my head, "and what is it that you think you saw?" He fiddled with his fingers again. "It was scary. I know it wasn't the tooth fairy, cause dad always said the tooth fairy was beautiful and kind."
I laid my head against the headboard and sat my book on the nightstand. "Lucas, tell me what happened last night after dad, and I had gone to bed." His eyes widened," Do I really have to say it?" I nodded. "Yes, tell me." He sighed and leaned back. "I was playing my game. It was getting late, and I was getting tired, so I logged off. I crawled into bed and went to lay, that's when I saw it. It was hanging upside down in the corner of the ceiling. " He closed his eyes then opened them. "It was so dark in the room I couldn't really see it all to good, but Lilly, it's eyes were glowing like glow sticks and when it opened its mouth all its teeth were super sharp." He looked up at the ceiling, "it reminded me of a shark's mouth."
"That's when I screamed. It was crawling towards me, its head twisted upside down and was whispering some weird words. I just screamed. It was so scary, Lilly." Tears swelled in his eyes. I took a Kleenex from inside my nightstand drawer and wiped his tears. "It's okay, it's gone now. It won't hurt you." I reached back into the drawer and dug around for my secret stash of candy. "Here, have a twizzler." Lucas smiled and took off the wrapper. He shoved it in his mouth and chewed. I went to grab my book when I heard him yelp. "Lucas, are you alright?" He pulled the little piece of twizzler out. Embedded in the candy was a small blood-stained tooth. I grabbed a Kleenex and wrapped the tooth inside then used another to stop his gum from bleeding.
I walked him back to his room with the tooth in hand. I placed it under his pillow and told him to go take a shower before settling for bed. Laying some clean pajamas on his bed, I closed the door and went to take a bath myself . Once dressed, I brushed my teeth and hair. Turning off the bathroom light, I slipped my feet into my favorite fuzzy slippers and went to check on Lucas. I knocked twice on the door. "Lucas? You dressed?" I waited a few more minutes then knocked again. "Lucas? Cover up, I'm coming in." Once the knob turned, I dashed towards the open blood-stained window. It had come back. It had taken my brother. "Lucas!" I screamed out the window into the night.
My dad paced back and forth. He gripped his hair and grunted in frustration. "He had just lost his tooth too; I was going to talk about the tooth fairy and about the coins under the pillow." I cried. I had left my brother alone and he was taken under my watch. I felt horrible. "It's not your fault, Lilly. " My dad rested his forehead against the wall and sighed. I rubbed my eyes feverishly with the sleeves of my long sleeve t-shirt, wishing the tears would stop. "If I was able to find you before, I can find your brother." He turned to face me, "Lucas will come home."
Dad walked out of his room dressed like someone that was going on a hunting trip. He made his way to the kitchen. I hurried to the closet and changed my clothes, grabbing my phone off the bed I shoved it in my pocket and met up with him before he could step out the door. "I'm coming with you!" I blurted . Dad didn't say a word. He just nodded his head. We parked just outside an abandoned house that sat just on the outskirts of town, it was old and falling apart. Bushes and vines had grown over the walls and windows over the years. "Keep quiet and stay close." We silently approached the front door. Owls hooed in the distance. How did dad know this was here? Dad slowly pushed the door open. We walked inside and looked around the old dusty cobweb invested living room.
Dad stopped in front of me. I looked around him to see blood splatters on the floor and walls leading into the basement. He pushed lightly on the old worn door and clicked on the flashlight. We silently tip toed down the old worn-out oak stairs. The sounds of a child screaming caught our attention. Dad stopped me before I could go down further. I knitted my brows and looked at him. He tilted his chin to the floor at the bottom of the steps. I felt sick. I had to swallow my own vomit. Dozens of small, severed arms of children lay scattered on the dirty cracked tiled blood-stained floor. My dad and I tried our best to avoid stepping on any of them.
"Stop! Leave her alone." I could hear my brother screaming.
Dad pulled out a knife from his back pocket and ran to the sound of my brother's voice. I followed suit. strapped down a table was Mr. Reed's little girl. Her eyes were taped shut and mouth forced open by the two sets of metal pliers in the creatures bony clawed hands. Lucas was curled up in a nearby corner, blood stained his shirt . "Lucas!" I shouted and made my way over to him. The creature turned at the sound of my voice. Tabby whimpered. Lucas clung to me in fear, his head curled up under my chin. I turned to see the creature looking at me. It looked almost human. Its ghastly eyes glowed unnaturally. It looked starved. The pliers thunked against the table as it raised its abnormally long bony arm and pointed in our direction. It opens its overly stretched mouth, exposing sharp shark like teeth. "You .... I know you," I was shocked by how human it sounded and how much it somehow looked a lot similar...to me.
"I should have stopped you long ago. All those poor kids.... I just turned a blind eye to it all. Then you took Lilly and now you dared to take Lucas. " My dad lifted the blade in front of him and walked slowly towards the creature. Lucas clung behind me as we move to the table and used the pliers to quickly snap the straps. Gently taking the tape off Tabby's eyes, I lifted her off the table. I shoved her and Lucas behind me. "I loved you," dad whispered. The creature cocked its head and step towards him. "You ...abandoned me ...you left me alone here to rot," the creature struggled to speak. I looked between dad and the creature before him. "Dad, you know it?" He closed his eyes then opened them and sighed, "Yes ....and so do you." I took a few steps back, using my hands to move the kids further towards the staircase, "what do you mean?"
The creature cocked its head my way, I could have sworn I saw a flicker of sadness etch across its thin boney face. Dad looked over his shoulder, his eyes held remorse. "She's your mother, Lillian. My wife." I was beyond shocked and confused. Lucas and Tabby gasped behind me. "That's not possible...you said mom died giving birth to me." He shook his head and held the knife higher. "I had to take her away, Lilly. When I saw her start to turn and attempt to eat you .... I had to take her far away to make sure you'd be safe." The creature, my mother, slashed a clawed hand in the air towards dad. Barely missing his throat. "All those kids .... you killed them?" Her head twisted around in circles then stopped. Her eyes not once blinked. "Lucas, take Tabby and run. The car is outside, and the engine is running. Go!" My brother sobbed; he yanked Tabby up the stairs.
"All this time, my mother was the one kidnapping and murdering children." I picked up an old, rusted axe that laid beside the bottom of the steps. Dad watched me with caution, he dodged my mother's claws once more. "You tried to kill me, you tried to kill Lucas! " I screamed at her . Dad was too distracted by my outburst to see her clawed hand slammed into his chest, tossing him back against the wall. "Dad!" Her long boney legs moved towards me, the long-curved talons on her feet clicked against the floor. I could hear dad groan in pain from
Behind me. "You....will...be...." I didn't even wait for her to finish, I swung the axe and chopped off her head. Leaning over her fallen body, I continued swinging the axe. Even as blood splattered and bones crunched, I kept swinging.
Three days later, the news anchor came on screen and announced that the mysterious creature kidnapping children was dead and that children could rest easy with no worries of monsters creeping into their rooms at night. Dad was in the kitchen and Lucas preparing a made from scratch pizza. I could hear their laughter from down the hall. I turned off the shower faucets and stepped out, wrapping the fuzzy towel around my body I stood in front of sink. I reached up to wipe the foggy mirror. I looked at my reflection. Ghastly eyes looked back. I smiled, exposing a set a very sharp teeth. Like mother, like daughter.