It doesn't take me long to finish the sandwich as I sit staring at the kitchen wall. It's suddenly too quiet for my liking. In the past I would have enjoyed the peace from time to time, but now...A shiver goes up my spin as I push back out of my chair. It takes me just crossing the room to do what I have set out to accomplish. With a twist of a knob, the old radio kicks on. Starting out faint before growing louder as it warms up. The inside appears to glow as the music builds. I wonder how long I've had this. It appears to be vintage, perhaps before the sixties. Maybe even later as I look at the shape and details of it. No matter as it some how continues to work. The lush sound of the music playing on the station fills the air and grows as I turn the volume higher.

Satisfied with the silence gone, I make short work of the chips Linda paired with my sandwich. With the chips gone, I place the dish in the sink for later cleaning. Downing the glass of water in one gulp, I add it to the sink. Taking a moment to actually think the day over, I let the music calm me as the images from earlier bombarded me. Frustrated and wanting to forget for even just a bit longer, I turn the Radio off to make my way to clean my bedroom. The thought of sleeping an inch or so of dust sends me into shivers.

I grab the vacuum before making the trek up the stairs to my bedroom. Grunting as I carry the heavy thing and wondering why they can't just make these things lighter. It's bad enough the cord always finds a way to be too short when I reach the end of a task. The last of the dirt dirt just mocking my efforts. Grumbling I heft it onto the top step, finally pausing to catch my breath. The hallway looks eerie in the lighting. A single unburnt bulb is left to illuminate the way. It doesn't help much either that when I catch a glimpse outside through one of the many windows that a storm appears to be blowing in.

The sky is slowly darkening as I can't help but stare. So sudden it goes from sunny to a green hue before the sound of rain begins to beat against the panes of glass. Pulling myself from the sudden change in view, I push the vacuum down the hall, ignoring the needed cleaning of the there to make it to my room.

The door swings open easily, but makes a sound of protest all the same. Screeching like a wounded animal asking for help. Be it to save it or end its misery. A cloud of dust kicks up from the motion of the door and I'm sent into a fit of coughing to clear my lungs. With eyes burning, tearing from the onslaught, I make my way in and search for the nearest outlet plug. Once set and ready, it doesn't take me long to make quick progress. The sound of the vacuum blaring in my ears is not so soothing as the music from before, but it does the job keeping me focused and calm as I work.

The sky has darkened all the as I work. It's pitch black by the time I finish. The room is now dusted and vacuumed clean, with a fresh set of sheets upon the bed. I'm rather pleased with how much I got done. A sudden crash of thunder has me leaping nearly out of my skin. The weather appears to have turned for the worse during my work. The lights flicker as if to state this fact to me. As I wonder if I have a working flashlight on hand, the storm sees it fit to take what light I had.

The room plummets into darkness, taking the rest of the house with it. A quiet curse escapes my lips as I make for the hallway. Giving up the idea of finding a flashlight that could actually be working, I make my way carefully down the hall. My goal is to make it to the basement and see if it's just the circuit breaker, which will be easy to mend, or an outage. Which I pray is not the case for my own mental state.

I know the house well, barely feeling my way along. As I make my way into the kitchen, it's really the only time I need to feel around as to find the handle to the basement. From there I just have to follow the wall and find the large metal box. With luck, just a flick of a switch and the power would be back on.

I find my way in and beginning to feel my way to the box when I hear the shuffle of feet. I freeze as soon as I hear it. Turning slowly I try and strain a look to see if I can find the source of the noise. It's not like my home is new or anything, far from it. I don't even remember when it could have been built. With such an old structure there are many things that can find their way in. Rodents of all sorts would be happy to find a home in this dark dank basement and right now I can't believe I'm praying I just heard one of them.

My mind races as I now rush to find the latch to open the box and start flipping switches. As I get the latch free and feel the front open, I hear the shuffling noise again. It's much closer as I desperately begin to flick the switches back and forth. Not one is restoring power as I do so. I can feel my panic building as I hear the shuffling stop as if someone is standing behind me. I could swear I feel the breath on my neck as I hear it leave invisible lips. I'm shaking as I frantically keep trying the switches, not daring to turn.

The last switch works and I whirl around to face who ever is behind me. Only I'm confused to find no one there. I look at the ground around me and all I see are my own foot prints in the dirt there isn't even a single sign of a rodent that I could blame. There isn't even foot prints other then my own. After checking once more, I turn back to close the box and latch it. Feeling as though I'm still being watched, I turn to find still no one there. I'm alone and yet that doesn't give me anymore comfort.

With my mind set on heading back up stairs, I turn in time to see a flash of yellow run past the doorway. Confused I run after, trying to see if it was my imagination or something else. I'm in the kitchen again, but I don't see anything out of the norm.

As I make my way into the living room the light decides it's the best time to flicker again, startling me into a squealing. Glaring at it with frustration, praying the power doesn't decide to go out again. Once has been enough.

The front door burst open as the lighting flashes and a loud bang of thunder follows seconds later. I feel like I've nearly had a heart attack as I take it all in. Linda stands, umbrella in hand cringing.

"Sorry. The wind got ahold of it." I sigh deeply, taking the time to regain my sanity. She shuts the door and locks it before placing her umbrella aside.
"How have you been holding up with me gone."

I can't help the chuckle that leaves me before I go into details, though I leave out the stranger things for fear she thinks I was letting my imagination get the better of me.

"I'll see if I can find some working flashlights then." She moves to place several large folders on my table, in total i guess there is at least three. I hadn't even noticed she had them until now. Linda must have seen my curious look cause she is grinning at me in a devilish manner.

"This my dear Bobby, is all the information found on strange things that have been reported to the department. From missing persons, unsolved murders, and the out right bizarre. I haven't looked at them at all myself yet. I wanted to wait and look at them together."

I stare curiously at the large stack as she continues.

"I didn't have to dig for them either. They were all in a file cabinet that looked forgotten by the amount of dust I found. If it wasn't for recent finger smudges in that dust, I would have thought it was just an unused or broken filing cabinet."

As I reach to open the top folder for a peek, Linda grabs my wrist suddenly.

"I don't think so mister. You Bobby Gray are going straight to bed now that I'm back."

I give her a pout, but it's affect doesn't land.

"Nope. No puppy dog eyes either. You have to go in with me in the morning to give your statement of what happened to you and what you saw. Same as that group of kids. I still can't imagine how you both were in the same place, at the same time, but never ran into each other."

She gently releases me only to then turn me to the stairs. With a soft push, I begin my trek up the stairs with Linda calling behind me.

"If you need me, I'll be right here on the coach."

"Bobby...

Booooobbbby...

Bobby!"

I wake suddenly hearing Linda calling me. As I get up I rub the sleep from my eyes and make my way out to the hall, only now noticing it's still dark out.

"Linda?" I call with a frown, making my for the stars. "What is it? Why are you calling me? Is something wrong?"

I feel a chill climb my spin like thousands of tiny insects as I hear a child's giggle in reply.

"Who's there?" It's quiet only a moment before I can hear what sounds like a small girl singing.

"The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout..."

I can't help but follow to were I hear the singing. Step after step I descend towards the first floor. My hand sliding over the railing as it guides me. My anchor.

"Down came the Losers and washed the spider out..."

I see the lights on in the kitchen as I round the corner. A shadow of movement draws me all the closer still.

"Bobby come play with me."

I freeze hearing Linda's voice, followed by a scream cut short by a sickening crunch.

"LIN!"

As fast as I can I rush to the kitchen we're I'm unsure what I am seeing.

Blood pulls on the floor, spreading slowly in all directions. A small figure, that appears to be a child, lays against the floor cabinets. A large figure shadows over them, obscuring my view as it holds something close to it's chest.

"A year to late. Oh what fun we would of had." A playful voice croaks in a sing song manner.

As the figure turns to face me, I can now tell the body is that of a little girl wearing a pink dress with rabbits and flowers all over. The blood escaping where her head is torn clean off.

I can feel the figures eyes on me and look back to find bright glowing yellow eyes. Rings of red with in them, staring back at me. As I take it all in I can now make out the clothing, a renaissance looking attire of that an entertainer of the time. Out of place here. His make up place as snow lined with a sharp red smile that doesn't stop at his cheeks. It's raise far above his brows, a red nose to match. A clown? I feel anything but jolly seeing him staring me down. I begin to realize his mouth is stained red. It's splattered all about him. His goofy buck tooth smile covered in it and now I have a bad feeling may well be blood.

"We could still have fun, couldn't we Bobby?" It asks me with a pout that quickly turns back into a grin.

I stare horrified as the clown lifts the object away from his chest and into my view. I feel a scream rip through me with a wave of sickness and helplessness.

Linda's face grins back at me, grasped firming in the clowns hands. Her pink tails of her youth stick out on either side of her head as she watches me.

"Come on Bobby, it's not that bad is it?" She seems to servy herself, looking down where I can see what's left of her neck vertebrae and nerves. Veins still working as they try to send blood back to the heart that no longer can receive it.

"Oops, I guess we got a bit 'ahead' of ourselves, didn't we?" She smiles all the brighter as she tries to look back at the clown holding her severed head.

The laughter coming from her is nothing I've ever heard before. The soft laughter and light snorts I know so well of her are replaced with manic psychotic laughter only to be joined with that of another more eerier playful one.

"Oh not me dear Lin Da. Old Pennywise is always just where he needs to be. But dear old Bobby here is trying to mess that up." The last of his words rang like a predictors growl.

"Bobby needs to stop snooping around where he doesn't belong. Cause Bobby won't like what he'll find. Will he Lin Da?"

"No he won't." She giggles, her face appears to be decaying in front of me. The flesh is a sickly pale color and her eyes dull and losing all life from them.

"You wouldn't want dear Linda to float, now would ya Bobby?" Pennywise, as he calls himself, gives me a malicious grin I won't forget. With a quick motion, he tosses Linda's severed decaying head at me.

Following my first instinct, I try catch her. Reaching out only to watch as she falls short of my grasp.

I know I'm awake when I find myself on my bedroom floor, clutching my pillow that now sports a red stain. My head throbs with every beat of my heart. I let out a shaky breath before looking at my pillow confused. From the throbbing in my skull, I imagine I've aggravated the wound on my forehead. I test the theory reaching to touch the gauze there with my fingers, only to pull them back with a sharp hiss. Fresh blood coats my fingers as I stare down at them.

Just a horrible nightmare. That's all it was. It wasn't real and all it was is a side effect of the injury and my psyche trying to deal with the trauma. That's all, right...right?

"Bobby! Get up! This is the last time I'm going to be civil! Get your ass down here before I decide to eat your breakfast!" Linda shouts sound angry but I know too well she's not. Putting on a face is what she does. It's her way to practice her stern cop voice. Her bubbly friendly nature is a constant and everyone that knows her knows she's never had to draw her gun. She's talked every suspect out of any stupid situation they've gotten themselves into. They even start apologizing to her and those around them. With a talent like that I really don't know why she bothers to practice being angry at all.

"I'm coming!" With a sigh, I get up, bringing my pillow along for the ride. As I make it the kitchen I groan, "do you know how to get blood out of this?" I present the pillow to Linda who finishes serving eggs from the pan in her hand. Setting the pan and spatula aside she takes a better look at my pillow.

"I think I know a remedy. I'll make sure first though." She strips the case off to look at the pillow itself below, "this will be a bit trickier with the feathers. If it isn't done right the feathers will stink after or not dry properly." She hums looking it over a bit more before placing it and the case aside for later.

"Now eat up and then get dressed. We have to get to the department early to get you checked in and anything else they need from either of us." She takes that moment to get a good look at me.

"Are you feeling alright? You're looking pretty pale."

Linda reaches out and places the back of her hand to my forehead gently. Moving it a bit about and frowning.

"I don't feel a fever. If anything you feel a bit clammy."

"Just a nightmare. That's all." I smile warmly, thankful for her concern were no one else seems to ever spare me a glance.

"Alright, but if you start feeling sick let me know. I'll change that bandage before we leave and before I forget." She grins going to the freezer, pulling out a pint of Neapolitan Ice cream. I see her place that on the counter before grabbing my antibiotics and pulling out a pill. She manages to crush it up into a fairly fine powder before getting a spoon of the ice cream. With a bit of skill she mixes them and presents the spoon to me with a grin.

"Alright, here you go." She continues to grin as she hands me the spoon. I can't help but grin myself at how clever she is to make it not only easier for me to take but also enjoyable.

"Thanks Lin." I saver the ice cream, barely caring about the crushed pill within. She looks at me closely, most likely making sure I've taken it and not hiding it. To ease her mind I stick my tongue out, showing the top and bottom. A pleased noise comes from her as a large grin shows her approval.

"Good boy. Now eat and get dressed before we're late."

I now notice she's already dressed in her uniform and now downing her own food quickly.

I make short work of my own food before running up stairs to do as I've been told.

The nightmare of earlier soon being forgotten.