No One There

  “Well, thank you for coming over and hanging out,” I say, pulling Sofia into a hug.

“Of course! I’d never pass up the chance to spend time with you!” she says happily. “I’ll see you later.”

“You too. Goodbye.” I shut the door behind her and watch to make sure she gets to her car before walking into my living room. I sit down on the couch and turn the tv on. A few minutes pass as I flip through channels, trying to find something entertaining to watch.

Thump.

A sound comes from right outside the front door. I put the remote down and stand up. I open the door. A dead bird is laying on the porch, right beside the doormat. Weird. Well, it’s not my problem. I’ll move it later. I shut the door and discover that I’m parched. My throat is very dry. I grab some water and sit back down on the couch, propping my feet up beside me.

Another few minutes later, there’s a scratching coming from the porch. I open the door again. A black cat is sitting on the top step, the dead bird in its mouth. It stares into my soul with its black, beady eyes. I tilt my head and it copies my movement. A minute passes. It drops the bird on the top step and jumps down off the stairs. It walks a few feet away before stopping and turning to look at me again. The cat lets out a “meow” and then sprints across the yard, diving into some bushes.

That was… strange.

Shutting the door, I give up on watching tv and decide that it’s time to go to sleep.

I step into the bathroom to get ready for bed, running a hand over my face and through my hair. I turn to look in the mirror and freeze.

It’s broken.

The top left corner is shattered and the middle is cracked. It was perfectly fine when I was in here about an hour ago. My eyes scan the mirror from top to bottom. It’s slightly foggy. It shouldn’t be. I lightly brush my fingers against it, my hand shaking a bit.

There's scratching on the front door again. I leave the bathroom, slowly walking towards the door and peering out the window.

It’s the cat. It spots me looking and sits back to stare at me. I hesitate for a moment but eventually open the door. The cat strides through the doorway as though it owns the place, not even sparing me another glance. It jumps on my couch and settles down comfortably.

A rattling sound comes from the bathroom. I stare at the door. “Did you hear that?” I look at the cat. No response. “What did I expect? It’s a cat. I swear, I’m going crazy,” I mumble, rolling my eyes and looking at the bathroom again.

“You never know. Things may surprise you.” A lower-toned female voice echoes around me.

I look around frantically, trying to spot where that voice came from. My eyes stop on the cat. “Was that you?”

“Perhaps.” The cat jumps off the couch and struts closer to me.

I watch the cat. “This isn’t real. Cats don’t talk.” I shake my head, my eyes widening.

“If this isn’t real, would you feel this?” The cat swipes forward and scratches my leg.

“Ow! Fine, it’s real!” I crouch down and hold my leg.

The rattling from the bathroom gets louder. “You might want to check that out,” says the cat.

I swallow harshly and grab a knife from the kitchen. I quickly open the door to the bathroom, holding the knife in front of me. There’s nothing in there. The sound is coming from the sink. I walk closer to it carefully. A moment later, water bursts from the pipes and starts spraying everywhere.

I jump back out of the bathroom. “What is that? What happened?” I ask the cat.

“How should I know?” She chuckles softly. “You might want to leave before the house floods.”

I debate for a moment. Then, I do as the cat said and walk out the front door, the knife still clutched in my hand. The dead bird is still laying there. I drag myself down the steps and across my front yard to the sidewalk.

The town is eerily quiet. The streetlights are very low and glowing a gross yellow color. Not a single house-light is on. A cold breeze hits me and I shiver.

Whispers travel with the breeze. I can’t make out the words, but the voices get louder. I walk to my neighbors house and knock on the door. I wait.

Nothing.

I walk to the next house down and knock again.

Nothing.

“There’s no one there. There’s no one anywhere,” I say to the silent street. Two more houses and still nothing. “No one there. No one there.” The whole street is empty. I stop knocking and just run through the road, mumbling to myself. “No one there. No one there.” Where is everyone?

I spot the cat on the sidewalk to my right and I halt to a stop. “Where is everyone?” I speak my question, slowly stepping towards the cat. She tilts her head, just staring. “Where is everyone?!” I shout. The cat is startled and dashes down the road. I follow quickly behind, finally dropping the knife.

The breeze gets harsher. The voices chase me like a predator chasing its prey, craving to feed on it. They become so overwhelming that I drop to my knees, my hands pressed tightly against my ears. My heart is racing, my breathing is heavy, my eyes are squeezed shut, my whole body is shaking.

The voices swirl around me, reaching the point of shouting. I feel the cat brush against me, her soft tail hitting my arm. I focus on her and take a deep breath.

All of a sudden… the voices stop.

I slowly open my eyes, lifting my head to look around. I discover that I am somehow in the center of a graveyard, hundreds of graves surrounding me. I pick myself up off of the ground and read the name on the grave closest to me.

Sofia Renee Smith ~ Friend

“Sofia? B-But… you just left my house an hour ago. How…?” I reach over and lightly press my hand to the grave. “This can’t be…” I start walking through that row of graves, looking at the names.

Angelica Tolemi ~ Neighbor

Tobias Lee Mendela ~ Father

Kaitlyn Marie Mendela ~ Mother

Selena Marie Mendela ~ Sister

Cameron Beray ~ Doctor

It’s the whole town. This is where they all are. But when did this happen? And why? How did I not notice? How did I not notice they were all dead?

Tears sting my eyes and my chest feels tight. My throat is dry again, my nails are digging into my palm, my body feels hot. I continue walking.

My heart drops to my stomach when I see the last grave. It’s empty. On it is a name that I know very well.

My name.

Atlas Tobias Mendela ~ Asylum Patient, Grave Digger, Murderer