6. Sign
Cream - March 20, 2036, 2:58 P.M.
As I walked home, I kept wondering about what Tails discovered on my hand this morning. it was really, really weird. I don't have a single clue as to why there was writing on my glove. I wasn't the one who wrote it, and I am definitely sure that it wasn't there last night. Since it was red, I took off my glove to check to see if I was bleeding. But there was no such injury on the back of my hand. So how did that little 'r' appear?
I look at the back of my hand again. Sure enough, it was still there. I had tried to wash it off in the bathroom sink during school, but it didn't disappear. The 'r' just remained on my glove.
"I should stop thinking about it. It's making my head all ditzy." I told myself, sighing. "I'll just change gloves when I get back home."
I figured there's no point in trying to solve something that wasn't really bothersome. It'd be just a waste of time.
A couple of minutes later, I arrived at my house. I went inside and called out, " Hey Mom, I'm home!" There was no response
"Mom? Are you home?" Still no response. It was quiet inside. The only noise I could hear was the ticking of the living room clock.
Where is she? I wondered. She usually never leaves the house while I'm out at school.
I walked around the house, searching for Mom, but she was nowhere to be seen. However, when I walked into the kitchen I found a written note on the counter. I picked it up, and it read:
Cream,
Had to leave to buy some things.
I'll be back home soon.
~ Mom
I put the note aside and thought to myself, "I guess she went in a hurry. I don't know what we would need right now, though."
Since I didn't have anything to do for the rest of the day, I decided to go to my room to do some studying. There was going to be a big test for pre-calculus the next day, and I didn't want to fail it. So might as well use up my time wisely.
Cream - ?
This area is dark. Pitch black. It was also completely silent. Not a single noise could be heard. I couldn't see or hear anything at all. It was like I was inside some kind of black hole or something. Come to think of it, where the heck am I?
I tried to shout something out, but no sound came out of my mouth. No, it's not like the usual "I want to say something, but I just can't spit it out" kind of thing people have when they're in anxiety. I literally could not hear my own voice. It was as if I was in a silent film.
I didn't know what to do. I extended my arms forward and walked around to see if I could find some kind of switch or something to lighten the place up. But I didn't feel anything. In fact, there seemed to be no boundaries in the area. I walked on for about 5 or 6 minutes, but I didn't make contact with a wall or anything. Was I in some kind of void?
Regardless of where I was, I needed to get out of here. It's only been about a couple of minutes, and I was already starting to grow incredibly anxious. But how? I couldn't see in this darkness, and I couldn't hear anything, either. It was impossible to navigate through this place.
But I had to escape somehow. I had to, one way or another.
I continued walking forward until I finally bumped into what seemed to be a door. I found the knob, turned it, and opened the door to the other side.
Is this the exit? I asked myself as I entered. Is this the way out of this darkness?
But it was not an exit. Rather, what I entered upon was another room. This one, however, was brightened up, allowing me to see inside.
When my eyes adjusted to the light, I saw a horrifying sight. In front of me was a dead body hanging from a noose over a bed. That body was none other than Amy. her eyes were open, yet they weren't looking at anything. Her mouth was wide open in a silent scream as if she was taking her last breath. Her corpse was swinging slowly and gently, but there was no wind to be felt.
It was paralyzing just to look at Amy. I couldn't move. I wanted to turn around and run, but the mesmerizing sight of her corpse made me immobile.
Suddenly, I heard someone's voice from my left. I turned my head to see a black figure in the corner of the room. It had a pair of red, menacing eyes and a masculine body. It had no visible mouth, but it was making some kind of indiscernible whispering. The thing had its head down looking at the floor.
I didn't know what to do. For a few moments, I just kept quiet. But afterwards, I worked up the courage to speak and asked, "What are you?"
The thing immediately looked up at me and began walking forward. As he came closer, it took out a knot of rope from behind and said to me in a distorted voice, "She's waiting for you. So why not hang with her?"
Cream - March 20, 2036, 6:23 P.M.
I woke up from my nightmare to the sound of something break in the living room. Good grief… never have I been so glad to be awake from dreaming. This was the second nightmare I've had in a row. Not to mention that it had Amy in it again.
"Geez… what is up with my dreams lately?" I asked myself, yawning. "Why am I seeing her? Is it solely because today's the day she died?"
Forget it. I don't want to think about it one bit. My day started out stressful enough already, and I wasn't going to make it worse.
I got up and went downstairs to investigate the living room. I stumbled upon a ceramic vase that fell off the bookshelf and broke into pieces. Small debris was all over the floor, and even some of it was by the door.
"Oh no... I can't believe that vase fell over and smashed to the floor. It was expensive, and mom's gonna be pretty distressed."
Come to think of it, I noticed that mom still wasn't home. I looked at the clock above me, and it read 6:23. Where was she at a time like this?
Anyway, I got out the sweeper and dust tray from the basement, and collected the pieces off the floor. After I put them in the trash, I picked up the broken vase and went out to put in the garbage bin. What a shame. Despite being just another luxury, the vase was undeniably an elegant work of art; it had blue sages and red roses around it, with golden stripes circling around the bottom. My mom and I really liked the design, and that's why we bought it in the first place. But now that it's gone, it feels like it was just a waste.
Then I realized something weird: how the heck did the vase fall over to begin with? That question struck my mind like an arrow. If there was no one in the house besides me, then who or what caused it to fall?
"So many creepy things are happening today..." I uneasily said to myself as I went back inside. "What on earth is happening?"
I was afraid that there was a burglar in the house, but it was way too quiet. If there was an intruder inside, my ears would've heard him.
I headed back to my room with the feeling of anxiety and slight fear. I didn't know what to think. First, it was my nightmare from last night. Next, it was this little "r" on my hand (which I had forgotten to replace). Then, it was my second nightmare. And now, it was this broken vase moment. All of this was just bizarre. Why is all this happening, and what's causing all these things?
Since Amy's death, I've been having an ordinary life. But I don't understand why things are taking a turn in such an odd fashion today.
Then I thought, Maybe it's all coincidental. Maybe I'm just being too stressed and that's why I'm making such a big deal about this. I'll just go back to studying for a couple more hours and call it a day. I'll go to bed a bit early, and wake up next morning to find everything back to normal. Mom will be home by then, and I'll just go to school like usual. Everything will reset when tomorrow comes.
But unfortunately, it was not going to reset. This was where my life took a drastic turn. It was going down a path that would forever traumatize me. None of those dreams and moments were coincidental. They were signs of "her" arrival and "her" presence.
Immediately when I returned to my room, I noticed something odd. On my desk was an dark-red envelope that was open. Nervous, I picked it up and found a letter inside. It read in bold letters:
Closet
This really freaked me out. I didn't know how this ended up here, nor did I know who it was from.
I looked at my closet, and the door was closed shut and undisturbed. I slowly walked towards it with a sick feeling in my stomach. I was really scared.
Was someone or something inside my closet? What's going to happen if I open the door? These thoughts fluttered in my head as I approached closer to door. Once I was in front of it, I just stood still for a few moments.
I couldn't decide whether to open the door or not. I was too nervous and frightened to do so. What if there was something on the other side? What if it was something dangerous? What would I do?
I remember when I was very young - around 4 or 5 years old - I was one of those kids who thought that there was some kind of terrifying monster or apparition in my closet during the night. You know, like one of those "boogeymen" little children believe in that don't have any real description but are still fearful in some way. now I know it's silly to believe in something like that for my age, but that was how I felt: like a small child being fearful of the monster inside her seemingly harmless closet.
Eventually I built up some courage inside myself and grabbed onto the doorknob. Without hesitation, I then swiftly swung the door open.
What I saw inside was the most horrifying sight I have ever seen in my life.
A tall, bloody skeleton was hanging from the hook on the wall. The noose was tied firmly around its neck. Its head was surprising clean, but the clothes it was wearing was covered in blood.
Underneath the skeleton was a message, presumably in blood, reading:
I'LL BE SEEING YOU
Right above the message was a ring. Upon closer examination, I noticed that it was a gold claddagh ring with a tiny emerald in the center.
That was my mom's ring. She was always wearing it. She was even wearing it just this morning.
That could only mean…
The corpse was Mom.
…
…
…
I screamed.
