Page 13 of Remain (one-of-a-kind)

Reece cleared his throat. “After Louise told me about her conversation with you, I explored the grounds,” he said.

“I found a group of people camping at the edge of the property. There were eight of them. They’d set up tents, a portable grill, even strung a clothesline between some trees.

They said they were in town for the music festival.

It’s not the first time it’s happened. The festival attracts a lot of young people, and some of them may have heard that the house has been empty for a while. ”

“You think she was one of them?”

“Though they denied it, I think it’s probable. Since it rained last night, I’m guessing one of the young ladies was simply scouting out someplace dry and didn’t realize the house was occupied.” He looked uncomfortable.

“How did she get in? If the door locks automatically?”

“Maybe the door wasn’t closed all the way?”

I tried to remember whether I’d checked the night before; I remembered turning out the lamps, but as for the door, my mind was a blank. “I guess I could have accidentally left it cracked open after I got home from the store.”

“It might be a good idea to engage the dead bolt as well before you retire to your room in the evening,” Louise suggested, “to prevent anyone from entering the house again. Just to be on the safe side.”

“I’ll do that,” I said.

They took my comment as their cue to leave, and it wasn’t until I was closing the door behind them that I realized something.

The woman had left when Louise had come to the front door, which meant there was no way she could have slipped past Louise without her noticing.

· · ·

After I finished the notes, the evening was a quiet one. Bored, I found myself researching the history of Heatherington. One click led to the next as I went down an online rabbit hole and learned quite a bit, although I suspected that I’d soon forget most of it.

When I began to yawn, I dead-bolted the front door, made sure the windows were latched, and confirmed that the hallway bathroom door was shut.

I locked my bedroom door as well, wondering about the illegal campers while secretly hoping I’d catch sight of the mysterious woman somewhere in town over the next few days.

I decided I might ask her to join me for coffee or tea if I did see her.

Paulie had followed me to the room again and curled up on the pillows on the bed.

I went through my nightly routine before climbing in next to her.

I scratched her cheeks and whispered, “Even if she wasn’t supposed to be here, you liked her, too, didn’t you?

Next time, make sure to get her name, okay? ”

After turning out the lights, I fell asleep quickly, only to awaken a few hours later.

The time on my phone read half past two in the morning.

I listened, hearing nothing that would have interrupted my slumber.

It wasn’t until I rolled over and closed my eyes again that I heard…

something…the sound so faint I could barely make it out.

I focused, gradually discerning a rhythm to the noise; it was coming from inside the house.

Curious, I pushed back the covers and crawled out of bed. After opening the bedroom door, I heard the sound more clearly, though the hallway was empty. It took me a moment to realize the bathroom door was open, but just a crack.

My heart began to hammer in my chest. I specifically remembered making sure the door was closed on the way to my bedroom. Then again, I reminded myself, it was an old house. The latch might be worn or stripped, and it was possible the door opened on its own if it was balanced incorrectly.

But the noise…

It was growing steadily louder. Gradually, I began to make out what it was: the sound of someone crying in the hallway bathroom.

My first thought was to retreat to my bedroom and call Reece and Louise. Or the police. But all at once, the sobs gave way to a piercing scream, like someone being hurt. Instinct took over, and I rushed toward the door. Yanking it open, I was confronted with absolute darkness…

Just like the dream…

But as the screams continued, my eyes adjusted to the darkness, and I was able to make out a shadowy figure near the bathtub, dark hair cascading down her back.

I startled at the sight and scrabbled at the wall, my fingers seeking the light switch.

As soon as I turned on the light, the scream stopped, like a needle being lifted from an old-fashioned vinyl record.

No one was there at all.

In disbelief, I stepped into the bathroom, my eyes darting from one corner to another, seeing no one. I pulled the shower curtain aside but again…empty.

I knew that I hadn’t imagined that scream, and remembering what Reece had told me about the old house, I turned on the bathroom faucet. The pipes squealed, and though I tried my best to believe they might have been the origin of the sound, I knew they weren’t.

Eventually I made my way back to my room, but I couldn’t sleep.

Yesterday, I’d heard someone humming in the kitchen, and just now I’d heard screaming in the bathroom, and I lay in bed, afraid my hallucinations were getting worse.

They weren’t just visual anomalies anymore; now they were auditory as well, and for the first time, I felt a kind of terror that there might be something really wrong with me.

In the morning, bleary-eyed and on edge, I pulled on a pair of sweats, hoping that a long run would make me feel like myself again.

But I wasn’t sure that anything could cure whatever it was that was ailing me.