Phantoms of Fourteenth Avenue

Chapter 20

I stared at Mason with disgust. Not only did I hear everything in this house that seemed to be getting smaller by the minute, but could he maybe tell his Blonde bimbo to be quiet. It was like she was trying to win some orgasm competition that only she had entered.

I closed the door quickly, to show how much I needed those two s*x crazed creatures to keep their distance.

I suddenly felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up and a shiver ran down my spine. Was someone staring at me? I turned around slowly and examined the room. It was empty. Apart from the unsurprising presence of Grace peacefully sleeping in her bed.

I approached her bed slowly but felt the air thicken with every step I took. It was like someone was cutting off the oxygen in this room. The room felt extremely cold very quickly and I gulped loud enough that I'm sure Mason's b***h next door heard me.

I took off Grace's old sheets and looked at her frail body. I had already changed her, sponge bathed her and updated her medicine dose while the other two were making a porno next door.

But I still couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched. I looked around the room slowly while standing next to Grace's bed but I didn't see anything. Maybe this room just gave off a weird vibe because there was an old unconscious lady laying here.

Though, I tried to logic my way out of this feeling, I still felt uncomfortable and wanted to leave. I hadn't felt this the previous time I came in here. I quickly changed Grace's sheets and covered her with the new blanket. I turned on my heel and tried to get out of the room without looking unprofessional. I did an uncomfortable power walk and opened the door. I closed it slowly, taking one last look at Grace.

I hurried to my room trying my best to avoid Mason. The last thing I needed now was to confront him.

I wanted to yell at him. To rip out his heart, the way he did mine.

Deep in thought and blinded by anger, I hadn't even realized that Mason had approached me. It caught the corner of my eye and I turned to face him.

He looked at me shyly. Hhm. I thought, holding back a huff. I thought he would have been more confident given the performance they had just given.

“Listen, I am going to be away for a few days. I have things to take care of. I will be back. But um… here's my number. If anything happens or something goes wrong. Please give me a call.” he said as he stared into my eyes, obviously embarrassed by what he knew I had heard.

Although a small, teeny, tiny part of me wished that I was on the other side of the door with him, he didn't have to know that.

I nodded silently as I watched his intense gaze break mine as he walked away. I eyed after him as he disappeared around the corner to the front door. I sighed out and entered my room.

I glanced down when my phone started ringing and grabbed my phone out of my pocket. I looked at my True Caller ID and saw that it was Mason. I picked up the phone confused because surely he was still in the yard. No one leaves so quickly. I answered lazily, trying not to hide the rage I felt when I saw his number on my phone. “yeah?”.

“I forgot to tell you, Andrea left her dog in the backyard when she arrived. Can you just feed it and make sure it's okay while I am away?”. This didn't seem like a question. More like a demand.

Am I a pet sitter now too? What the hell? I don't have time to look after a dog as well. I shook my annoyance because I had to remind myself that he was still a client and not someone I could just argue with.

“Okay, will do.” I tried to say in the happiest voice I could possibly muster, but clearly failing.

“Thanks.” he said, before ending the call.

I turned and left the room, going through the kitchen that led to the back door. I opened the door and looked out on a big lawn. I searched the yard for the dog that I was supposed to also care for and felt someone at my feet. I looked down to a pomeranian, so cute I could have died. I picked it up and almost squeezed the life out of it as I tried to hug the fluffy doggie and pet her.

I noticed she had a dog tag on and looked at the collar. “Gabby?”, I asked, as if I was expecting it to answer. The dog wagged her tail and licked my chin.

I stepped back into the house and closed the back door behind me. Now it's just me, Grace and Gabby, all alone in this house. This should be interesting.

-

Night fall came quicker than I had thought, and before I'd even realized, it was almost time to go to bed. I checked up on Grace one last time before getting some rest myself. Gabby, following me all the way was kind of pleasant. Maybe I should get a dog of my own when I get back home.

I turned off all the lights in the rest of the house and closed my bedroom door. I slid into my covers, moaning with pleasure as my aching body started to relax against the soft mattress.

Gabby was whining next to the bed, begging me to get into the bed with me. Sighing, I picked her up and placed her on the bed. “Okay, but don't you dare pee.”

I turned to my side and started to doze off.

I was snapped out of my light sleep by pressure on my legs. Ugh. I thought to myself. Abby was a foot of the bed sleeper? Couldn't she just move to the side? This was queen sized, so there was more than enough space for her.

I tried to move my legs as I muttered sleepily. “Gabby, move your ass off my legs.” I then felt something crawling out from under my sheets and I busted open my eyes. I stared at Gabby and she emerged from under the comforter. I looked at her in confusion.

“But wait. If you are here…. Then who is on my legs?”.

I widened my eyes as I slowly turned my head to look at the footing of the bed. There was no one.

Just as I started to brush it off as temporary sleep paralysis, Gabby started growling at my feet. She was clearly looking at something that I couldn't see.

Fear overtook me, causing me to freeze as I stared at my heavy legs. The fact that Gabby was growling at my legs, confirmed that maybe there was more than what meets the eye. I tried to get up, to run, to do anything. But I was so fear struck, that nothing happened. I screamed at myself in my head. How the hell could I have frozen?

I've worked in the ER. You didn't have time for freezing. You just absorbed the information from the Paramedics that brought the patient in and took action. I've never frozen before. I peered into the dark.

In the corned chair, I saw what looked like the silhouette of a man, sitting in the chair staring at me.

Suddenly my body broke out of the prison it put itself in and I was able to scream. I jumped out of my bed, losing my balance and falling to the floor. Looking back at the chair, I noticed the silhouette was still just sitting there, staring at me.

I couldn't take this. I started crawling towards the door. The wooden floors obviously hurt my knees, but who the f**k cares when this was happening to you. I heard Gabby barking at the silhouette and that's when it really sunk in. Gabby had definitely seen the same anomalies that I did. What the f**k is happening here?

Finally I was able to reach the door and stammered as I got up from a crawling position to running. As I opened the door, I slammed my hand to switch on the bedroom light. I turned around at the entrance of the door and looked at the chair.

There was nothing. Nothing that could give the impression of a silhouette. I'm losing my freaking mind I thought.

No, I shook my head, Gabby also saw what I saw. But now with the lights turned on, she also seemed to calm down.

I rushed to my bedside table, grabbed my phone and started dialling.

“Yeah?” a groggy voice said at the other side of the line. Only now, I realized it was 2AM.

“I… I'm… I'm sorry to bother you so late, I just want to find out whether you would like to come over tonight, Um… this morning..” I said as calmly as I could.

This probably sounded like a booty call but I didn't care. I was not about to spend the rest of this night alone.

“you are calling me at… 2:05 to ask me if I want to come over? What's the matter?” I could hear a hint of annoyance mixed with worry in his voice.

“Can you please come to Grace's? I'm scared. I know this seems silly but I think someone's in the house. I saw someone sitting in my chair. I don't know if there's an intruder… “ I hastily rambled before getting cut off by his deep voice.

“I'm on my way!” he said, dropping the line.