4. Presley
Presley
The woman on the television runs upstairs.
I stare at her in disbelief. “Why? That’s freaking stupid!”
Penny lifts her head from my lap.
“Seriously. Why would you go upstairs when the front door is right there?”
The masked man slowly follows her.
Of course he does.
I grab another handful of popcorn from the bag. I decided I needed a snack four minutes into this movie because the female lead grates on my nerves with her stupid decisions.
But luck has been on her side.
Until now.
“She deserves whatever happens next.”
Penny looks at me.
“That was harsh.”
Her head drops back onto my leg.
On-screen, the woman hides inside a bedroom closet.
I groan. “Oh, come on.”
The music builds.
I know what's coming.
She knows what's coming.
Penny probably knows what's coming.
Yet somehow, the idiot hiding behind a row of dresses apparently does not.
The closet door flies open.
I jump. Popcorn scatters across my blanket.
“Jesus!”
Penny bolts upright.
My heart pounds as the woman screams.
I laugh at myself and reach for the pieces of popcorn around me before Penny can eat them.
“This was a terrible idea.”
She gives me a judgmental look.
“I know, I know. Not the best idea to watch a horror movie before bed.”
She sighs like she can’t fathom my stupidity.
She suddenly goes still.
I pause, clutching the pieces of popcorn in my hands.
Her ears perk. The right one twitches.
“What is it?”
Penny stares toward the window.
I follow her gaze.
Nothing.
Only my reflection against the dark glass.
Beyond it, the porch light casts a warm glow over the front yard before fading into darkness near the trees.
“It’s nothing, Penny.”
She doesn't look at me.
Her body remains stiff against my leg.
Then she growls.
I stop smiling.
Penny isn't exactly intimidating. She's small enough to carry under one arm and spends a concerning amount of her day trying to convince me she hasn't eaten five minutes after finishing her food.
But she doesn't growl at nothing.
At least, she never has before.
“What is it?”
Her gaze remains fixed on the window.
I mute the television. Silence fills the house.
The sudden absence of screaming and dramatic music somehow makes everything worse.
I listen.
Nothing.
No footsteps.
No voices.
Just the faint crackle of the fire behind me and the occasional tick of the old house settling around us.
Penny growls again.
A chill works its way down my spine. “Stop it.”
As if she understands me, she stops.
Unfortunately, she continues staring at the window.
I place her on the couch, pull the blanket off my legs, and stand. “This is ridiculous.”
I take a step toward the window.
Penny jumps down and follows me. Naturally. Because apparently we're investigating now.
I slowly cross the room.
The closer I get to the window, the harder it becomes to see outside. My reflection stares back at me, pale and slightly freaked out.
I cup my hands around my eyes and lean closer to the glass.
My gaze moves over the porch.
The walkway.
Grandma's flower beds.
Nothing.
I shift my gaze toward the woods.
Something moves.
I jerk backward. My heart slams against my ribs. “What the hell?”
Penny barks.
“Shh.”
Because obviously if there's a murderer outside, I don't want him knowing we're home. Even though every light in the house is on.
Brilliant, Presley.
I force myself to look again.
Nothing moves.
The trees stand dark and silent beyond the edge of the yard.
I stare for several seconds.
A branch sways.
Then another.
We're surrounded by woods. There are deer everywhere. Raccoons. Squirrels. Probably bears, although I prefer not to think about that particular possibility while standing beside a giant window.
I glance at the television.
The masked killer is frozen mid-stride behind his next victim.
Right. Mystery solved.
I point at him. “This is your fault.”
Penny looks from the television to me.
“I watched a woman get chased through a house by a psychopath, and now I'm seeing murderers in Grandma's flower beds.”
Penny lets out a tiny bark.
“Exactly.”
I unmute the television and return to the couch.
But I don't sit down.
Something still doesn't feel right.
I look toward the window again.
Nothing.
“Dammit. I’m acting crazy.”
I walk to the front door and check that it’s locked.
Makes sense. I locked it when we came inside from our walk.
I head through the house and check the back door.
It’s locked.
I even check the windows in the kitchen.
All locked.
By the time I return to the living room, Penny is sitting in front of the couch watching me.
“It’s probably just a raccoon.”
Her tail taps the floor.
“We’re safe. No one’s out there.”
Yet my head turns to the window. The uneasy feeling remains.
Shaking my head, I snatch the remote and turn off the horror movie.
I’ll find a sitcom. That's what I need. Something stupid and funny where nobody gets murdered, stalked, possessed, dismembered, or chased through the woods.
I find one and settle back onto the couch.
Penny immediately climbs onto my lap and curls against me.
I pull her closer.
For the next hour, I make myself concentrate on the television.
Eventually, my eyelids grow heavy.
“Bedtime, Penny.”
Penny stretches before jumping down.
I turn off the television and glance at the dying fire. Only glowing embers remain behind the screen.
I look down at Penny. “You don’t have to go potty, right?”
She just stares at me.
If she did, she’d cock her head, then run to the door.
“Good.” I glance at the front door. “Don't judge me. I just need to double-check it.”
Penny follows as I check both doors, turning off lights as I go.
I leave the porch light on.
Then I climb the stairs with Penny following me.
At the top, I stop and look down.
The first floor disappears into darkness below us.
For one irrational second, I have the strangest feeling that I'm not alone.
That someone is watching… and waiting.
My hand tightens around the railing.
Penny looks up at me.
I shake my head. “No more horror movies.”
I head into my bedroom and close the door behind me.
Penny jumps onto the bed while I change into my pajamas. Then I climb beneath the covers.
I reach over and turn off the lamp.
Darkness settles around us.
Penny burrows against my side.
I wrap an arm around her and close my eyes.
The house is secure.
Everything's fine.
It was just my imagination.