Night was growing with its full grace. Roads were deserted. Whole of Blueball was in deep slumber. Creepiness of the dark was the only one to be seen. In the peaceful appearing night, a shadow could be seen escaping from tha Dickenson's Villa. The shadow was seen to jump out of the window first maybe with the help of a rope. Next it tip toed silently towards the main gate, unleashed a key from its pocket and opening the gate stepped out. In the same cryptic manner the shadow leaned forward, checked out its surroundings and turning back quietly locked the door once again.
After following the shadow for a little while it became overt the shadow was none other Rosalind. She walked swiftly and straight towards Park Street. She wore a hooded long jacket and gloves with a mask on her face which made it more like a Herculean task to recognise her in that dark. The street lights of this pavement was barely enough to watch where a person was going. Surroundings were covered with open areas, more like jungles on the inside and parks on the outside. It wasn't a much visited or a most well maintained place. But there's more to where Ross had to head.
She had now taken out her flashlight from the tiny little backpack she was wearing. She turned around plenty of times as if her instincts made her suspect someone was following her, but there ain't no one except the lonely, cringy, dark path behind her. Ross swallowed a gulp. However, she kept walking swiftly and firmly, trying to sweep out all the negative thoughts that approached her mind.
Everything was dark around except from the light that came from Rossie's flashlight. At one turn, she stopped. She raised her head to read the sign board that showed -
Lane 11 - Right >
Western Parks - Straight ^
Cold shivers passed throughout Ross' existence. Didn't know what was more scary. Standing there alone in the middle of the night or the fact she isn't alone there, there is someone who called her at this spot.
For a moment, Ross realised she wasn't safe. She thought she should run away, back to her family, her friends. Tell them everything that has been happening. But just the other moment, she figured out she had come too far to back off now.
Rossie turned her face towards right. She saw a path plunged into darkness. It was a cloak and dagger situation. What would come next was highly unpredictable. Nevertheless, Ross tried to normalize her racing heartbeats by taking deep breaths. Adrenalinic effects could be prominently seen rushing all round her dying form.
After some moments passed silently in the deep and tranquil darkness, Rossie finally gained courage and stepped towards right. She trudged down the lane. Not a lot of time passed before she heard a rustling in the nearby bushes.
Shock waves passed her body. She briskly moved her flashlight towards the sound. Madly waving flashlight all over the bushes, she hesitatingly with a lot more anxiousness got back towards walking down the lane. Suddenly, she felt someone was chasing her footsteps. She could even feel a shadow trailing behind. She lost control of her pace. Her pace increased. She didn't have the strength to turn back and examine. She was running like a bat out of hell.
After a long span of running like crazy, she realized she lost track of the chaser. Making her upheaval breaths return back standards, Ross stopped near a bench and sat on it to take support. A flickering light street lamp hung over the bench. It made the whole scene a lot more uncanny.
In the middle of catching her breaths, when Rossie leaned on the back of the bench, she felt a quick gesture of a hand covering her mouth to hold back her loud intense scream which was just to escape her vocals.
At the very moment, Jess got up alterly from her bed. She thought she heard someone slunk in from her bedroom door. And suddenly, a dim light coruscated in her room. She discovered it was Kyle.
"Hey! What's going on?" Jess said in a low voice rubbing her eyes and getting out of the bed.
"Lower your voice. I guess someone's in the house. So, I came to check on you. Wait here. Do not come out of this room. I will Saffet here as well. Stay quiet." Kyle instructed her in a firm voice and went out towards Saffet's room.
After a while he arrived back nearly dragging Saffet with one hand. He entered Jessie's room and locked it. Then turned towards Jessie who was holding sleepyhead Saffet from his shoulders.
"Listen up, now!" Kyle said more like whispering.
"You two, stay here! I'll go out and look for the person." He was saying when Jess interrupted.
"But Kyle, it could be dangerous. You don't who it is. You can get hurt." Jess was worried.
"Don't worry! I'll be fine. Remember I am your Big-B. You just take care of yourself and Saffet. And no matter what, you won't leave this room. Okay?" Kyle affirmed politely with a soft smile.
Jess couldn't help but nodded with nerve-racking thoughts occupying her mind. The door shut behind Kyle. Saffet was now a bit more awake than before. He acknowledged the severity of the situation and spoke up,
"There's a thief in the house. Or worse a serial killer. Maybe he has deadly weapons. And Big-B has nothing but a baseball bat. What if they come face to face. What if he has a gun. What if--"
"Cut it out, Saffet. Don't I look pretty scared already!?" Before Saffet could say anything further Jess broke him off and glared.
Saffet didn't dare to speak after that for a long period of time.
Many moments passed tensed and silent until a loud thud was heard probably coming from the kitchen area. Jess jumped out of the bed like a spring and ran haywire towards the door when her hand paused at the knob. She could hear footsteps approaching. Closer and closer with every step. Someone was coming towards the room. A spark of current ran down her spine. She glanced back towards Saffet who was staring at the door with apprehension.
All of a sudden, the footsteps were silent. Nothing was to be heard. The haunted deep silence with the voice of crickets chirping. Jess and Saffet stood there alert, holding their breaths.
In a trice, the knob of the door was spinning vigorously. It was locked from the inside. So, could not be opened up. The door was being jolted with full strength while continually whirling the knob. Jess skedaddled from the door in consternation. Her hands started shaking. The banging on the door was becoming intense. She looked around finding something for defense. If she didn't work with agility, the person banging might get in. She got a large box of supplies pushing towards the door to block the way. The door hinges were losing strength. Any minute the door could break out.
"Come over here, Saffet! Hold the door. Give all what you've got!" Jess cried out.
Saffet came running for her help. Both of them stretched their arms out and pushed the door with all of their might to prevent the intruded from barging in.
Didn't realise how much time passed going through that travail. At a point of time, the banging ceased immediately.
Jess and Saffet were still alert and didn't leave their positions. And then suddenly, a soft knock was heard on the door.
"Jess, it's me! Open up!" Kyle's voice could be heard.
The door opened in a jiffy and Jess and Saffet came running towards Kyle. Both of them clinging Kyle started to cry out loud. Kyle circumferenced his arms around them trying to soothe them.
After a while, three of them could be seen seated around the dining table in the kitchen.
"What do you mean? You didn't see anyone? We were almost on the verge of getting intruded! That someone nearly broke in my room! How could you not have seen him? Didn't you even hear the voices? The banging? Our cries?" Jess was not able to believe Kyle didn't see anyone.
"I am sorry. I wasn't with you J when you needed me. But I swear I didn't hear anything." Kyle apologized in a contrite tone, pressing Jessie's hands into his. He looked slightly abashed.
Jess sighed. She didn't want to make Kyle feel bad about himself. So, she smiled and said,
"It's okay! It wasn't your fault anyways. And I guess he flew off, cause he could not fight my muscular bro!" Jess tried to joke around sarcastically and winked towards Saffet.
Saffet stood up and forcefully threw a table cushioning towards Kyle and shouted,
"Take that machoman!"
Kyle wasn't aware about this sudden strike, so he was startled.
Kyle was not a very healthy and well physiqued guy. He was more of a studious and serious person with a pair of glasses held on his stiff nose.
As soon as Kyle realised Jessie's game plan he himself took off towards the open area where the couch was situated. Jess and Saffet ran behind him.
"Incoming!" Jess shouted.
No sooner than the blink of an eye, all of the three could be seen running all around the lounge throwing cushions, stuffed toys and paper balls on each other.
Although Jess managed to make themselves comfortable after a great mishap, many questions that arose in Jess' mind were quite unsettling themselves.
Jess, Saffet and Kyle after gamboling around for a span of time laid on the lounge couch and fall asleep unaware of the fact that not much far away from them a mysterious someone stood in front of Ross and no one knows what it plans to do next.
The nights at Blueball have always been incongruous. However, each one was ignorant of the others' nuisance.