We're Not Alone in Here.

CW: death of a parent 

Day One

“Look, I really appreciate you helping me in a jam, here. My father told me to never leave this house alone…he worked his whole life to pay it off and keep it maintained. I do what I can but…” Tony told his friends.

Tony was hesitant to go on a mandatory team retreat for his job- a job he mostly worked remotely so that he didn’t have to leave his father’s house. With a lack of commuting time, Tony also had more time that he could spend working on the house- finishing various projects interrupted by his father’s death.

But he was being honest: his father worked for forty years not just to pay for all of the repairs this cheap plot had, but to provide for Tony and his mother- before she disappeared, leaving Tony alone with his dad.

Tony didn’t mind, he loved and respected his father- in fact, he was crushed when he died. His father made him promise that he’d look after the house, finishing what his father started, and continuing to keep it livable so that someday, maybe Tony can have a family of his own here. At least, that’s what Tony believed.

Steven had been to Tony’s house before, but only when they were kids, and Tony’s father was still alive- it’s been many years now since anyone has been to the house, really.

“Hey, I’m sure everything’s fine. And you’re only going to be gone for a few days.” Steven told Tony, trying to make him feel less anxious about leaving.

As Josh and Steven stepped into the house, Josh suddenly felt much colder.

“Do you feel that?” he quietly asked Steven, for he had never been here before. While the three of them are best friends, Josh has only been around for a couple of years, while Steven has known Tony since they were little boys.

“Feel what?” Steven asked.

“The cold air, isn’t it kind of chilly?”

A beat of silence. “No, not for me. How is it that you’re cold, and I’m not?”

“I don’t know, I usually don’t get cold this easily.”

Tony came back over to his friends, smiling at them. “Before I head off, do you guys need anything? Want me to show you around at all?”

“Unless you’ve changed everything from when I used to come over, I think we’ll be fine. Now go, get out before you chicken out and stay with us.” Steven told him.

They helped Tony move his few things to the car and waved as he drove off.

“Steve?” Josh asked.

“Yeah?”

“Does this place seem weird to you?”

“No, I think you’re just feeling off because you’ve never been here before. I won’t lie to you, though, it is weird being back after his dad died. It’s so much quieter.”

“Why?”

They made their walk up the path, back to the front door.

“When his dad was around, he was always working on something if he was home. There was always a drill or a hammer that you could hear, no matter where you were in the house.”

Josh felt much colder the second time he stepped into the house. “I think I’m going to need to grab a sweater…” 

Steven and Josh carried their belongings through the house. It wasn’t huge, but it was larger than your average family home in a quiet suburban neighborhood.

There were four bedrooms on the second floor, one Jack-and-Jill bathroom for each pair. The master bedroom had two closets- one regular, one walk-in style. There was a ladder in the far, wrap-around hallway that led up to a small attic with a low ceiling.

On the first floor, you had the foyer that led into the living room- to which the stairs to the basement and the second floor were right next to each other- through the kitchen was the dining room, and in the back of the dining room was the spare washroom- it was a shoddy little room where the washer and dryer sat divided from an old, hardly-functioning toilet. This room led directly to the back yard. The property had no traditional garage, but a barn far out into the yard where the toolroom was.

The basement had nothing in it, it was one large room merely supporting the floors above with dirty old support beams sticking from ground to ceiling.

“What did you guys do here when you were kids?” Josh called to Steven as they unpacked a couple of necessities in an empty pair of rooms.

Tony was an only child, his bedroom was paired with the master, leaving the two other bedrooms for guests or other usage.

“If we were at the house, we were either playing outside in the yard or in the woods, or sleeping. His parents didn’t like it when we were in the house because they claimed we had nothing to do and that it was better for us to be out and be active. I think myself and Jonah Hahn were the only two friends to ever step foot in here. But I was the only one that ever spent the night.”

“Do you find that weird at all?”

“Find what weird?”

“That they didn’t like Tony having people over. Did the parents have friends?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

Steven walked into the bathroom and looked at Josh through the shower that separated their sides of the bathroom, which Josh was starting to find weird as well: the toilet was on one side of the room, the shower was as wide as the width of the room, meaning you have to climb through it to get to the sink on the other side.

“The mother was a very depressed woman: all she did was cook and clean the house, watching tv only if she was done with everything else. And then the dad was either working his job, working on the house, eating food, or sleeping for just a couple of hours during the night at the time. I don’t know if they’re just a weird family or if they were happy that way.”

“The mother seemed to hate her life and the father died from overexertion. Doesn’t seem very happy to me.” Josh threw on that extra sweater, still feeling really cold.

Steven just shrugged. “You got used to it after a while, that’s all I can say. But if I were you, I would stop saying negative things, I don’t think his parents would appreciate it. I will say though, this house has always felt somewhat haunted to me.”

“Do we have to sleep in separate bedrooms…”

Steven looked at his friend with an amused expression. “You’re twenty-seven years old and you can’t spend the time in your own bedroom for a couple of nights? Shut up, you’re fine.”

Josh grumbled something under his breath and watched Steven disappear into his bedroom, continuing to make himself at home.

Night One

Josh woke up sweating- a jarring experience for he went to bed with thick socks, a sweater, sweatpants, and two light blankets because he was so cold. He got up, took one look around his dark, empty bedroom, and made his way to the bathroom where he was annoyed that he had to crawl through the shower to get to the sink to splash some soothing, cold water on his face.

He dried off his face using his already-damp shirt, believing he heard creaking floorboards. The door connecting the bathroom to Steven’s room was closed, so Josh opened it, thinking Steven was getting up to use the restroom as well. But no one was near the door. Josh took a step into the room and looked around- it was just as empty as his own: one bed (in which he saw the lump of Steven laying, probably deeply sleeping), one nightstand, and one wardrobe cabinet near the hallway door. Seeing Steven sound asleep in bed made Josh question himself.

He looked around one more time, but a shadow near the hallway caught his eye. Josh took another step forward- one hand clutching the doorway to the bathroom for security. The shadow didn’t seem to move no matter what direction Josh leaned.

Josh felt too curious and terrified to turn around, or to even blink. Finally, his eyes started to burn, and his staring contest with the figure ended: when he opened his eyes again, blinking a couple of times, the shadow was gone.

Josh walked further into the room, feeling cold and tired and out of his own mind. “Steven, Steven.” he whispered, louder the second time as he walked over to the bed, glancing at the spot where the shadow had stood. “Steven.”

“What-? Josh?”

“Yeah, are you okay?”

“I’m- fricking sleeping, yeah I’m fine. What’s wrong with you?”

Josh paused. “I just wanted to check on you.”

“Go back to bed, you’re fine, I’m fine, we’re all fine.”

Steven rolled back over, and Josh remained for a solid minute. When Steven didn’t move or say anything else, Josh went back to the bathroom, climbing through the shower to get to his side, leaving both bathroom doors open for the rest of the night.

Day Two

“How did you sleep?” Steven asked once Josh finally walked into the kitchen the next morning.

Everything that he saw last night was still fresh in Josh’s mind. “Horrible.”

“Why, paranoid?”

“Went to bed freezing, woke up drenched in sweat, thought I saw something in your room so I had to wake you up to check on you-”

“You didn’t wake me up.”

Josh stopped in an awkward, half-sitting position before his body touched the chair for which he aimed. “What do you mean?”

“I would have remembered if you woke me up. I hate being woken up, and I’d be yelling at you right now if you had woken me up…”

“But I woke up sweating, so I went to the bathroom and splashed water on my face. I thought I heard something so I assumed you were coming to use the bathroom. I remember opening your door and looking in, but you were in bed still. I had to call your name three times and ask if you were okay. You told me you were fine and that I needed to go back to bed…”

“I’m telling you man, I would’ve remembered. Both bathroom doors were closed when I got up.”

Is it possible to dream so vividly that you’re convinced you really lived it?

Night Two 

Josh dismissed his feelings about the events of last night when Steven was adamant that Josh never woke him. The two spent the second day playing old board games, watering the front garden, and retrieving the mail.

Josh hardly left Steven alone. It only started getting on his nerves when Josh would follow him everywhere, making excuses that he had to grab something of his when Steven went upstairs to use the bathroom, or wanting another snack when Steven would go into the kitchen to refill his own drink.

Steven told Josh they could keep the bathroom doors open that night, but Josh had to stay in his own bedroom. Steven kept trying to tell him that he’s just nervous, that the place wasn’t haunted, and that nothing was going to happen to them.

Josh laid awake for what felt like hours, constantly looking around his room, contemplating whether or not to go check on Steven again.

Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore. He had to get up and check on his friend. Him and Steven needed to get out.

Josh climbed out of bed, letting his bare feet touch the wooden floor. Both bathroom doors were open, but he still had to climb through the shower. As much as he hated this shower- having to move the curtains out of the way and make a ton of noise doing so- he’d rather do this than risk going out into the hallway alone.

He could make out the lump of Steven just like he did last night. Josh carefully looked around the room while yet again holding onto the doorframe. There was no shadow tonight, no matter what direction he leaned or how many times he blinked. The door to the hallway was closed like it was last night.

Josh slowly crept over to Steven’s bed, slowly shaking him awake. “Steven, wake up.” 

“Now I know you’re waking me up.” Steven easily rolled over and complained. “What’s wrong now?”

“I still feel weird.”

“What’s making you feel weird?”

“I feel like I’m being watched.”

“I promise I’m not watching you, I’m trying to sleep.”

“Not helping.”

“Sorry.”

They were silent for a moment until Josh heard floorboards creaking, and his heart seemed to stop. “Did you hear that?” He looked up, his breath catching in his throat. In the corner of the room, right where he saw it yesterday, he saw the shadow.

Without taking his eyes off of it, he tapped Steven’s shoulder. “Sit up, do you see what I see? Do you see it?”

Steven sat up and peered in the direction he thought Josh was looking. “I don’t see anything, it’s too dark in here.”

“There’s a shadow. We’re not alone here, the shadow is back.”

“Shadow?” Steven sat up a little straighter, focusing now in the real direction that Josh was staring. “I don’t see a shadow.”

The longer Josh stayed silent and stared, the more irritated Steven got.

All of a sudden, the shadow seemed to cover more of its background, making the space around it darker. Almost…almost as if it was getting bigger. Or worse, getting closer.

“I’m getting out of here. I can’t do this.” Josh whispered, staring at the growing figure. “I have to get out of here.”

“Do you want us to go sleep downsta-” Steven’s question was cut off by him screaming, suddenly writhing around on the bed, seemingly fighting something.

Josh jumped back and stared at his friend in horror. He looked wildly around the room, unable to see the figure anywhere. Josh stumbled back toward the bathroom, fumbling along the wall for the lightswitch as Steven kept screaming for him, begging for help, asking what the hell was going on.

Josh finally switched on the light, the ceiling flickered to life. Steven sat up, breathing heavily, his eyes wide in horror.

“Are- are you okay?” Josh asked timidly. They both looked at each other, looked around the room, and looked at themselves. There was no shadow, Steven’s bedsheets and clothes were messed up, but he didn’t seem to have a single scratch.

“Whatever that was, it was holding me down, I could feel the pressure.” Steven ripped the covers off of his body and jumped out of bed, stumbling over to Josh. “We’re getting out of here. I believe you, okay? I believe you.”

Josh turned and walked into the bathroom, refusing to walk near where the shadow originally stood in Steven’s room. The light from Steven’s room suddenly went away, and Josh turned to look at him. “Did you just turn that off?”

“No, I didn’t touch it.”

Josh tried turning on the bathroom light, but he couldn’t feel for one. “Where is the light for this piece of s-”

Steven started screaming again, and suddenly he wasn’t standing right in front of Josh anymore. In fact, Josh couldn’t even see him. Steven’s screams seemed to come from all directions- as if he was back in bed, right next to Josh, or by the door to the hallway, all at the same time.

If he had even a shred of light, Josh would do anything to make it all stop- but without sight, he’s useless.

Steven kept yelling for Josh to do something, to help him, but all Josh could do was turn away and scram for the shower, getting tangled in the curtains on both sides, his foot getting wrapped up as he climbed out on the other side. 

Right as Josh made it out into the hallway, distancing himself from the bathroom, Steven went silent. Josh stood a few feet away from Steven’s bedroom door, just staring. His hands were gripping his hair, pulling at the mousy strands, trying to wake himself up from this nightmare. 

“Josh? JOSH?” Steven’s voice startled him, and for a moment, he almost got too close to the stairs… 

“I’m out here- Steven?” Seconds later, Josh heard his friend’s footsteps grow louder and faster until Steven appeared in Josh’s doorway. 

“Are- what just happened?” Josh asked. 

“I don’t care, get down the damn stairs, we’re leaving. I felt it again. I can’t take it. I really can’t. Tony has lost his everloving mind staying here.” 

Without looking back, the two of them bound down the stairs at least two steps at a time in the dark, not caring at this point if they tripped and broke their necks or something.

By the time they made it outside, the only thing they could think to do was knock on the door of a neighboring house and ask for a phone and a ride to one of their houses. It was the middle of the night, so it took a while for them to get anyone to answer, but it was their only option unless they wanted to go back into Tony’s house…

A sweet old lady finally answered, warmly agreeing to let Josh use her telephone before going to wake her husband to drive them home. It took a couple of rings until Tony answered, wondering who on Earth was calling so late.

Josh explained every detail, telling him that they were never sleeping over ever again, and that they’d collect their stuff in the morning. But Tony’s response after Josh’s rant made his blood run cold:

“Did I forget to tell you?” Tony’s voice came across sounding confused. “That’s just my dad.”