Umbra: Feed on my Fear

Phone Call

"Oh, honey, you're going to transfer again?" My mom's high-pitched voice never fails to energize me more than a sip of morning coffee. I told her and dad that I will be moving to another state last month but it's as if she's hearing it for the first time.

I am a cybersecurity engineer at LifePro. Well, not anymore. I quit because I was offered a job at another insurance company which is in a sleepy town of Gorbeon Pine. And besides, I need a change of scenery, away from the stressful, fast-paced life in the city.

"Yes, mom. We talked about this remember? I am just seeking for a greener pasture."

"We promise that we're going to visit you. We miss you, sweetheart," my dad chimed in. They always call me on speakerphone even though they're in a public place. But I miss them. My sweet parents who did everything to protect me.

"How many hours until you get there? Are you sure you don't need our help?"

"I'm okay, mom. You're talking to your independent daughter, remember? I will arrive at the house tomorrow morning."

"Yes. You've always been and we're so proud of you," a breathy and raspy sound can be heard at the end of the line which means that she's on the verge of crying.

"Keep safe, honey and don't forget to pray. We love you."

"I love you too. And mom please don't cry. I will be alright," they hang up the phone as I concentrate on driving through the freeway.

As I begin to enter the state, I am in awe of how serene and green the place is. The road is lying between two huge mountains with trees branching out, overshadowing the road. The sun is peeking through and blue skies converging with the picture perfect landscape that can only be seen at an art gallery. The night is near and I have to check in at the hotel and run myself a nice bath.

I stop at a nearby gasoline station to buy myself a sanitizer and a pack of gum.

"So, are you moving in?" The guy at the counter with a blue visor asks, motioning at my car with luggage inside and a navy trolley bag fastened on the top carrier.

"Yes," I smile at him as I take off my shades and folded it into the strap of my teal sling bag.

"That's cool. Welcome! That's what we do here since we're the first establishment that people pass from the city." He hands me the small paper bag with the receipt and $20 change.

With the paper bag tucked in my left arm, I turn and smile at a little girl holding a pink bunny stuffed toy. I am about to step away and let the other customer pay when my phone rings. It might be my parents checking in on me again.

It's an unknown number.

Sometimes, there is a point in your life where you just don't think much of what you're doing. For me, this is one of those.

Normally, I don't answer calls from a number that I don't recognize but I impulsively answer anyway.

A static sound with a faint voice can be heard. It's as if a car radio is being tuned so fast that you can only hear snippets of it. I wait another second to make sense of what the person in the other line is saying until it becomes clearer.

Get...out.

I freak out and immediately run towards the double doors. Maybe my tires were punctured. Oh, God. I can't afford that. I stop in my tracks as I see my car in a good condition.

However, what makes me turn around is the loud, ear-splitting sound of metals crashing. In a second, a huge tractor truck smashes the glasses of the convenience store and knocking everything that comes in contact with it.

I watch with a gaping mouth as the place is nearly obliterated. People on their moving cars start to stop and rush into the place to call 911.

I shake my head and even though my mind is still in shock, I help in removing the glass shards for the responders to access it.

After a gruesome ten minutes, the paramedics arrive with the police tailing along, they somehow manage to go inside and help the victims who were injured. The wailing of the ambulance and the shouts of the police officers echo through the once peaceful haven.

It could have been me.

I inhale a bag of air and gather my courage to go to the police who is now talking to the driver of the truck.

"Hey, officers. I am Heidi Monroe... and..." they stop talking and lay their eyes on me. "Okay. I'll just show you."

With my hand now sweating, I unlock my phone and show them my call history.

No. Don't do it. Someone whispered to my ear that makes me shiver.

"What's that, ma'am?"

I tell them what happened and look at them, hopeful that they understand my breathy rambling. 

"Ma'am, it's not your business anymore. The driver was drunk and it is not more than an accident."

"But no. Someone must have-"

"Yes. I know you're trying to help but let us take care of it. Now drive safely, miss Monroe."

I glance at a young girl, about ten years old, in the stretcher as the responders slowly but surely slide it through the ambulance.

I told you not to tell them, Buttercup.

I close my eyes and count to 10. Hopefully, the foreign voice in my head would go away once again. The voice started the day that my brother burned the cursed object- the same voice that scared me since I was a kid.

It's speaking to me through my mind and usually, I have a way to block it out but it only makes it speak up louder.

Seven people were injured plus the cashier who is in a very bad condition when the counter crashed onto him.

I give my statement to the police and they jot down about the crash that I saw but not the call that I just received. This is crazy! Who would ever rule that out?

I breathe heavily as I stomp back to my car.

Are you responsible for this? I asked.

You're barking at the wrong tree. I would not do such a thing. He said with amusement in his voice.

Popping two benzodiazepine pills in my mouth to calm my nerves, I drive straight to the place where I should be.

Okay, happy place, Heidi, happy place. I force the thought in my mind as I blast the car with loud music and tune out everything that stresses me.

I arrive at the hotel a little bit past 8PM and a bellhop leads me to a standard size of suite atbthe east wing. When everything was settled, I flop on the bed and before I know it, I'm dozing off.

Right after the sunlight hits my face, I look for my phone. I may be having a panic attack as it is already seven in the morning. I have to show up at the house before seven thirty.

With a lightning bolt speed, I run towards the bathroom and quickly fix myself and my luggage. s**t, there's no time to shower. But what if I stink. Can't I smell it?

I practically pushed the going down button of the elevator. Not that it will make it faster but somehow, it just calms my nerves. Thank God, there's no one with me at the time.

"Good morning, ma'am. May I help you?" the lady at the front desk with a neat golden bun and black uniform greets me with a smile.

"Checking out. And I would like to complain regarding the wake up call. I requested last night to wake me up at six and no one did."

The lady, Lola, checks the records and looks at me, "Well, according to our system, you requested for a wake up call at around 8:50PM. And at 11:00PM we received a call from your room about the cancellation."

This time, the manager, appears from the back of the staff room.

"Who called you at 11? I was already asleep at that time."

"Your suite is only for a single person. It is a violation to have two people in that room, ma'am," the manager says with a stern but calming voice.

"Listen, I am all alone at that room. Okay? There must be a mistake. Please, check again."

After a few seconds of typing in the computer, Lola adjust the screen for me to be able to watch. "It says here that a man made the call and cancelled. It also says in the record that there have been outgoing calls from your room, ma'am."

"We're afraid that we're going to charge you with that."

"What? No. That can't happen. I was the only person in the room? Okay?" they just look at me as if they did not believe me.

This is beyond absurd. How can this happen? I am the only person in the room. Goosebumps start to appear on my arms and back of my neck as I think of the posibility that someone is there with me. That I am not alone.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

After a long pause, I just pay them what they were charging me for the calls that I did not make.

Hurriedly, I drive away with my bags cluttered on the backseat.

It's happening again. It's back and I guess from my experience of dealing with this creature, it's staying.