8:30 PM
Kain Locke
"Hello, lovely kids! It's me again, Edith, from your favorite radio show. Are you ready for some fun today?"
Edith's cheerful voice floated through the room as I chewed on the eraser of my pencil. I twirled it in my fingers, tapping it lightly against my notebook. "Five done, five left," I mumbled, scribbling another answer.
Mom said I could visit the radio station this weekend and meet Edith, but only if I finished my homework and got all the answers right.
I smiled, imagining how cool it would be. However,
Suddenly, the door slammed open, and my pencil slipped from my hand.
Dad stood there at the door, his chest heaving like he'd been running. His face was too pale and his eyes darted around the room like he'd lost something important.
"Dad?" I called softly. He didn't answer, didn't even look at me right away.
"Dad, are you okay?" I tried again, my voice shaking as I reached for my pencil on the ground.
He finally looked at me, but it wasn't the look I knew. It wasn't the gentle smile or the proud look he often gave me when I got my schoolwork right.
Before I could ask any other questions he had already crossed the room to me and wrapped me in a tight hug. His arms were strong, but his breathing was somehow shaky.
"Daddy's okay," he said, "But listen, we're going to play a game, all right?"
I pulled back to see his face. "What game?"
"Hide and seek," he said, nodding quickly. "You love hide and seek, don't you?"
I frowned. "But we haven't played that in a long time."
"We're playing it now," he said in a shaky voice, his hands on my shoulders as he crouched down. "You're going to hide in the wardrobe, under the coats, and you're going to stay there. No matter what you hear, you stay hidden. Got it?"
"Is this... a real game? I thought I could hide wherever I like."
"Yes, baby, but Daddy wanted to play the adult version with you," he said, squeezing my shoulders. His eyes blinked, like he might cry, but no tears came. "It's just a game. But you have to promise you'll stay hidden. As quiet as a mouse. Promise?"
I nodded slowly. "I promise."
He hugged me tighter. "I love you," he whispered, kissing my head.
"I love you too, Daddy."
He stood up, brushing a hand over his face like he didn't want me to see.
He paused at the door like he was going to say something, but nothing came out. Then he nodded and left.
After he left, the room felt different, colder somehow.
I climbed into the wardrobe quickly, pushing past the coats until I was tucked in the corner. They smelled like him. I pulled the door closed, leaving only a crack to see the light outside.
Hugging my knees as I waited.
And waited.
Waited...
But he didn't return. Instead, I suddenly heard Mom's angry voice from the living room.
"Do it, you fucking bastard!" she shouted. "You'll never get what you want!"
I flinched, squeezing my knees tighter. Mom never talked like that. Something was wrong, but I didn't know what.
"You're only making things easier," came another voice, one that didn't belong to neither Mom or Dad.
I wanted to go to Dad, to tell him I didn't want to play hide and seek anymore. But I'd promised. He told me to stay as quiet as a mouse, and I couldn't break my promise.
Then it happened.
A loud bang shook the walls, making the wardrobe rattle. I'd never heard anything so loud before. My ears rang like they might burst, but the noise wouldn't stop echoing in my head.
A second bang followed. I chanted in my head, "As quiet as a mouse," but the third bang rang out. After that, there was nothing.
The silence was even worse.
I clasped my hands and whispered, "Please, Daddy. Come find me. Please."
A creak of the door broke the suffocating silence, followed by a slow and steady footsteps, coming closer. And closer.
"Dad?" I called, my voice trembling as I peeked from between the coats.
Before I could see, the wardrobe door creaked open. And then I saw.
It wasn't Dad.
The man standing there had a strange smile on his face, too wide, like he was pretending to be friendly but wasn't. His white shirt was splattered with something dark and red, like ketchup, but his eyes were cold, like he didn't have a soul. Strange lines covered his neck and wrists, like drawings on his skin.
"Found you," he said in a sickly sweet voice.
My whole body froze. I couldn't scream.
I could only stare at the smile that promised anything but good.