Knock-knock-knock.
It was near time for the girls father to return home from work. So Mercy cheerfully bounded up to the door as Randall and Anne scuttled off into Anne's room and shut the door. The older sister unlocked and opened the door with a grin, but it immediately vanished when she realized it was not their father.
"Oh. Hello Mr. Barrow." Mercy droned, looking up at him. He was somewhat taller than her.
He looked down at her with an unreadable expression, his hair messy as ever and clothes filthy. "How do y'do, young lady?" He asked in his thick accent, feigning politeness.
Mercy rolled her eyes, a hand on her hip. "You're here fer a cup'o'sugar, I imagine?" She asked sarcastically.
Jacob gave a sick chuckle. "No, yer as smart as your pa."
"Who," Mercy began, eyes lighting up "will be here very soon. If'n your not wantin' nothin', then go on and get." Unlike Anne, Mercy wasn't so nice as to offer kindness to a scum bag such as Jacob Barrow. She could give affection to a child scaring monster all she wanted, but not him of all people.
"Hm." He nodded, eyes narrowing. "Did yer sis give ya my message?"
Mercy's eyebrow rose. "What message?" She asked suspiciously. "When did you talk to my sister?"
"Jus' yesterday." He answered. "I told'er to go'n tell your pa 'bout the alligator loose. You wouldn't have seen it, would you?"
Mercy shook her head. "Ain't no alligator gonna come up this far from th'swamp."
Jacob grinned madly and shifted his weight back and forth, swaying for but a moment. "Well I done seen it, yer family sure is quick ta judge cause I ain't no liar."
Mercy crossed her arms. "Didn't say ya was. But I tell ya, there ain't no-"
Jacob cut her off. "It's taller than you are, n'is all gross and mutated. All sickly lookin' and," He began to whisper "has got to have at least ten arms!"
This stunned Mercy for all but a moment. In the back of her mind she felt nervous. "You been drinkin', Jacob?" She eyed him up and down.
He frowned deeply, leaving wrinkles in his forehead from his furrowed brows. The greasy man lowered his head, placing his hands on his knees and looking her straight in the eyes. "Y'better watch your back, kid, 'cause I'm gonna have me some purple alligator skin hangin' on my wall soon. Real soon."
Mercy's mouth hung open and her mind spun in an attempt to make out why this threat scared her so much. Does he know Randall is here?She found herself questioning. "What'er you talkin' bout?" She asked stupidly.
Jacob straightened his back and laughed, showing teeth. "I'm talkin' 'bout a gator hunt." His smile widened. "You look a lil' pale."
Mercy shook her head and glared up at him. "Just worried at the thought of my dear neighbor goin' and getting' his fingers chomped off by a gator, is all." She replied sweetly. "Now if all y'wanted to do was come and yammer about some stupid huntin' trip, then you done what ya'came for. Goodbye, Mr. Barrow." She then slammed the door in the man's face and locked it again.
Douche. Still, she was shaken up. He was obviously describing Randall (though he gave a wrong number of limbs), and seemed ready to grab his gun and go looking for him. What worried her most was the way he walked; how he looked at her like he knew she was hiding something. She shuttered and started for Anne's room.
Before she reached the hall, Anne and Randall popped around the corner. "Oh geez!" Anne squeaked frantically. "I fergot to mention he said he saw a gator!"
"You was eavesdroppin', huh?"
Randall looked a little nervous. "Bet he's all bark, as you'd say." He spat, fidgeting. "There's no way that man could know I'm here. I haven't been visible around your house since-" He thought a moment "-since you let me out of that cage!"
Anne turned towards Randall and grabbed his wrists, forcing him to look down at her in confusion. Her face was contorted with worry. "You sure?" She asked quickly. Randall nodded.
The brunette crossed her arms and sighed loudly. "Has he ever seen you?"
The younger girl released Randall, who turned back to face Mercy (who was now leaning on the couch by her hips). "Weeeeell, actually," He started guiltily. "Hesortakindaseenmetwice."
"Randall!" Mercy scolded loudly.
He put up his hands defensively. "No wait! Listen, I came to your world from a closet door in that trailer, I couldn't help the first time! The second time was an accident, okay? I climbed on a car at the park that a little girl and a man went into, and I showed up at his place. Even though it was a bad idea, I double checked the doors in case another might be active. Soooomehow I sorta lost my invisibility."
Mercy looked pissed but Anne just looked horrified. "But you didn't come over here, I know, so he wouldn't of known ya'knew us. Right?" Mercy asked, eying him up and down.
He nodded. "I went back to the park."
She let out a sigh of relief. "Maybe he just wanted ta double check n'see if Anne passed on the message?"
Anne shrugged, looking between the two. "But, whys he gotta be so mean about it?"
"He comes 'round here again I'll call th'cops on'em." Mercy grumbled. "I'm gonna make Daddy some tea 'for he gets home." She then changed the subject. Of course, by 'make tea' she meant pouring it from a store bought bottle into a plastic cup, with two square ice cubes to keep it fresh and cool.
"Alright." Anne replied, nodding. "Come on Randy, let's go do stuff." She grinned up at him, grabbed his wrist (more gently this time), and led him back to her room.
Mercy heard her door softly close, and went to get the tea from the fridge.
The days passed and they'd yet to see anymore from their odd neighbor, other than occasionally noticing him gazing at their house from across the street.
The girls kept Randall a secret from their father. It was easy to do, being that he worked so often and so long. The weekends were more bothersome, however. Randall had nearly gotten caught when he accidentally knocked over a large hollow vase by the TV, which fell onto the carpeted floor with a soft 'clunk.'
"What th'heck?" The girls father had asked out loud, brows furrowed. He got from the couch and righted the vase, then proceeded to stand with his hands on his hips and stare at it. "Now how th'heck could that happen?"
"Wind?" Suggested Anne.
"Uneven carpet?" Suggested Mercy.
Either way he didn't prod anymore (after jokingly poking Anne in the side and claiming a ghost might have knocked it over) and they went about their day.
At times Randall would leave the house by himself. Upon asking where he went off to, Randall had explained his sudden interest in the wildlife of the human world. The animals were much different where he lived. He had also found mimicking the soft lazy feline creatures amusing. At least, when it came to hunting. Mercy had once stepped outside to a dead bird laying at her feet. Yuck.
It was now a Wednesday. Randall had been at the house for a full eight days since he had last seen Mike. Eight days of bird hunting and causing mischief with the girls. Since it had already become clear he would be staying for some good while with them, they went into town often when Mercy had gas money. Sometimes they got fast food and would drive back home to have a picnic near the swamp (as suggested by Anne).
"I can't believe you actually said that!" Randall said, laughing in astonishment. He took a chicken nugget out of a little box and bit it in half, chewing quickly.
Mercy nodded, sipping from a large paper cup full of soda."Yeah, well, I was in seventh grade! Can ya'blame a kid? So th'boy looks at me n'smiles, and he says 'nope.' Just a plain 'nope!' Oh man, that was my first heart break and I took it like a pussy."
Anne squirmed a little, smiling. "I ain't never had my heart broken."
"Well, learn from my mistakes lil'sis!" She punched Anne on the shoulder lightly.
The three spent another good thirty minutes munching on their greasy five-dollar foods before packing up the blanket they were sitting on and heading back to the house.
By the time they had reached their destination (it had been about a ten minute walk, being they were only half way to the swamp) they were ready to 'chill' on the couch, as Anne had put it. Mercy smiled at her and dug out a key from her short's pocket. They walked around to the front of the house and the three almost simultaneously gasped. Their door was wide open!
"Oh my God we need to call the cops!" Anne squeaked, moving behind her sister. Randall had gone invisible before they had rounded the corner of the house.
"Shhh." Mercy hushed, crouching a little. She shook, and inched towards the steps.
Anne bit her lip. "Someone might still be in there!" She whispered.
"Shhhh!" Mercy hushed again, waving at her. She stepped onto the pouch and crept over, peered around the edge of the door frame and looking inside. It didn't look like anyone was in there.
"Pst!"
Mercy jumped and moved against the side of the house at the sound, a hand on her heart. Randall's face (his head seemed to be floating) appeared for a moment. "Sorry." He said, looking sympathetic. His face was gone again. "There's someone in the back." He informed her hoarsely. "The last room of the hall. Looking around."
"Who?" Mercy asked.
"How should I know? Didn't see his face."
She swallowed. Anne tip-toed up to Mercy and stood against the wall beside her. "What do we do?"
"Randall," Mercy said "go get the phone, quick!"
"Will do." He said. Moments later a floating phone wooshed out the door and was handed to Mercy.
"Thanks." She quickly dialed 911. The voice of a woman came from the other end when it was picked up, and Mercy quickly and quietly reported their location and situation. Anne stood there and gnawed her nails into nubs.
Thanks for reading