Page 9 of Painfully Merry

The living room is quiet. My footsteps echo on the hardwood floor through the lower level. I jump, pulling in air sharply, when I see something from the corner of my eye. My spine falls forward in relief, blowing out my breath. I storm toward the stupid coat hanging on the chair and throw it on the ground.

“You piece of shit.” And for added measure, I kick it.

I set off building my fire, another thing to thank Grandpa for. If you can create a fire, you can survive. The crackling brings back memories of watching him make fires here every winter. Now it’s my turn, and I only wish I had the tree on to enjoy the coloured lights.

I curl up on the couch and dive into my ebook. A knock on the door pulls me away, and I’m almost tempted not to answer it. There are only a few people who come knocking. When I get closer, I can hear the tiny barks, and I smile.

Opening the door, I’m greeted by Mr. Murphy and Honey.

“Oh, I’m glad you’re here. Are you safe?” Mr. Murphy asks, concern written across his face.

“Yes, of course. Why, what’s going on?”

Honey barks once more. I bend down to pet her, and she shoves her face deeper into my hand.

“I heard some strange noises coming from your place and wanted to make sure you’re alright. And with the power out, I needed to check in.”

I smiled, grateful for having him as a neighbour. He’s been checking up on me almost every week since I moved in. He and Honey walk the property line morning and night like it’s a new routine, and if they find anything suspicious, they let me know. He takes his role very seriously.

“I’m doing great, Mr. Murphy. I started a fire, and I’ll wait it out until the power comes back on. You wouldn’t know what happened, would you?”

He points to the transformer. “Dang thing exploded out of nowhere. It’s strange if you ask me.”

“Are you doing okay? Did you need to come in?”

“No, no. We were making our rounds and needed to check up on you. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I watch them walk away, thankful for decent people.

I enter the living room, and something is off. My Kindle is gone. The trap door holding my stomach together is breaking. I slowly shuffle to the couch, lifting the blanket. I hoped it would fall onto the floor. I threw it on the couch before getting up.

Low, deep whistling comes from the kitchen. Whistling toDo You Hear What I Hear?My blood freezes like the weather outside. I don’t move, and I try to breathe calmly. Reminding myself that stupid girls die first. Well that’s what I tell myself, anyway. I mean, I yell it when I watch horror movies.

The whistling grows louder, and I can’t move. I’m going to die here tonight.

5

Parker

I can’t believe we broke into her house without anyone noticing. Talk about shit security. All she’s worried about is her camera’s what about an alarm system. I guess there is no need if you always have staff around.

“Parkman, this basement stinks.”

“I know, bud. Only a few more hours, and then we can make our way upstairs.”

Chaos paces around the small room that we decided to call ours for the night. I need to get him out of this room before he explodes.

“I’ll make you a deal. If you can sneak upstairs and find something of hers, have at it. Just don’t get caught.”

Joy shines on his smile. “Parky, I could kiss you.” He slips a black hoodie on and rushes out the door.

Whatever joy I can bring him, I’ll do my best. Chaos and I have been friends for years. Now that I think about it, I can’t remember how this strange duo started. However, it started, I’m grateful for him. He took me in when he could’ve slammed the door in my face like everyone else. But Chaos isn’t like that. He may be disturbed, but he’ll love you hard and protect you when he invites you into his circle.

Small giggles grow louder, and I know Chaos has found his treasure. His hand appears in the doorway, wiggling a notebook.

“Look what I stole. Miss Priss is gonna go nuts when she can’t find it.” He drops down on his sleeping bag.

“Should I ask how far you made it?”

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