Chapter 2 : Knock Knock
Harry Mason never thought that monsters were real. He believed that reality is the only thing that was worth writing and monsters definitely weren't a part of it. Of course that was until, he and his wife adopted me. My mother- she believed in supernatural, she believed in demons, monsters and angels and so she was the easy target for my suppressed powers. Alessa still lived inside of me. And for some bizarre reason she liked to show off. My mother embraced those powers as a gift from God, in need of evolve. Not by torturing my soul and burning my body to give birth to Evil, but by giving me all the love she had.
You see, I can't remember any of those though. She died when I was little but Harry told me that was what mothers do. Looking at her pictures, I knew, my father was right. She was an angel among the monsters.
I wonder what would happen to him, if he was also given love. That little boy who knocks on my door every night and calls his mother ever so sadly.
No no… I told myself. Scratch that. I don't even know who I'm writing about it. I wish I could ask the last tenant. But he is not here, is he?
Alessa
"Cheryl…"
At the sound of both my names, I startled. The voice swept out behind me to a shadow standing in the doorway. I rubbed the sleep from my tired eyes and focused on the target before me. My name, Cheryl, being called out in some voice soon slipped from my thoughts.
There was a man, silhouetted by shadows of the hallway, leaning against the doorframe. He was wearing an old dark raincoat. His features, hidden behind long messy hair. A part of me, wanted to run to the phone, call the police and inform them of an intruder but my body denied moving. And in that very moment, a feeling of grief overcame me, blurred my sensed and incapacitated my mental strength.
I saw him taking a step inside the bedroom, his dead eyes dancing toward me. For the thousand time as Alessa, Cheryl, Heather, as a living- I could feel life was ebbing away as I dropped back to the floor. The study lamp's bulb flickered, promising to die with me.
I once enjoyed taking life like this, didn't I? He stood right over me as the lights went out and darkness embraced our world. I never saw what he looked like.
I woke gasping for air. Sweating and panting, I realized I was in bed. The bedroom though was dimly illuminated by street lamps. Was it a dream? Didn't feel like one. I got up, turned on my study lamp and took out the paper out of the typewriter.
March 12, 1967
I look at you in the eye. I look at your beautiful green eyes and I wonder how such a cruel man can create something so innocent, so pure. He says a creature born of a deadly sin as adultery, is nothing but a monster, taking the form of a human. He says sooner or later this cursed creature needs to perish before dragging us all down in the depths of the hell. He says, we must ask God for forgiveness and purify our soul by abandoning it. He doesn't let me name you, snuggle you or even feed you. He wants me to kill you- but how can I? How can I leave you crying out of hunger? Mommy wants to protect you, my little baby.
Knock knock
The sound of the door made me jolt upright, I put the paper down and slowly got out of the room as I walked towards the door cautiously. A sudden shiver ran down my spine as I got close to it and looked through the peephole. There was a man, standing with his back facing the door. In the dim light of the florescent lamp, I could see that he had dark brown hair and had worn a pale blue shirt. His head was shaking violently.
Just by looking at him, my head throbbed as I felt nauseous all of a sudden. But my heart only stopped beating when he finally faced the door, looking straight at me with his two black holes instead of eyes that sucked everything and anything they could. And his lips moving so fast as if he was trying to say something but there were no sounds coming from his throat. Only more blood, spilled from his eyes, nose and his mouth, staining the collar of his shirt.
Who is he?
I asked myself, talking as many steps back as I could, until I hit the wall and squeezed my eyes shut.