The Impossible Basement

Part Three

Jane walked to her brother Marshall's house in a daze. She didn't even recall most of the trip. It was like one second she was on the train and the next she was in front of the door and eight year old Aaron was greeting her, face and hands covered in something red and sticky.

"Auntie Jane!" Aaron squealed. He jumped at her, clinging to her middle. Jane didn't need to look down to know that the sticky substance now covered her white tee shirt. This is why she always wore white around him. Easier to bleach a shirt than trying to get a stain out of an expensive purple beaded blouse… which was still sitting in the bottom of her laundry basket, abandoned as a lost cause.

"Hey, kiddo," she said, scratching his hair.

Marshall popped his head out of the kitchen. "Aaron! I told you to wash your face before hugging Auntie Jane."

Giggling and screaming a high pitch wail, Aaron ran away from Jane, presumably to continue ignoring his father's command. Jane, shaking her head and chuckling, closed the door and plopped her purse onto the small dining room table. Little Sophie sat at the end of the table in her high chair, bouncing her arms happily when she saw Jane, causing a tornado of Cheerios to fall everywhere.

"Sorry, Jay," Marshall said, head stuck in the refrigerator. "Can you get Sophie for me?"

Jane went over to the little blonde haired girl, careful not to step on either Cheerios or what looked like a discarded red lollipop covered in fuzz and glued to the once tan carpet.

"Running late?" Jane asked, unbuckling a wiggling Sophie and lifting her out of the high chair. Settling the girl on her hip, Jane wandered into the kitchen.

Marshall stood straight, taking a big gulp straight from a milk carton. "Always," he said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

Jane tsked. "And always the gentleman, too."

Sticking his tongue out at her, Marshall put the milk back into the refrigerator then bumped the door shut with his hip. "So how was your day, Jay?"

Bouncing Sophie on her hip, Jane settled on telling her brother the truth. She made a funny face to Sophie's delight and said, in a high pitch baby voice: "Well... a strange man made me jump from one train car to another while it was moving to escape a giant rat-sized spider."

"Oh, so the usual." Marshall opened a cabinet and pulled out a box of energy bars. "And... how's Ashley?"

Jane kissed Sophie's soft cheek. "I don't really want to talk about it, Marsha."

"I hate when you call me that," he grumbled, dumping the box of energy bars into a gym bag.

"I hate when you call me Jay."

Marshall took a long look at her as she cooed to Sophie and she knew he was feeling guilty about something, probably having to leave the kids behind again.

"You look tired, Jane." He said finally. That surprised her, his tone of voice, and using her actual name.

"I'm fine." She said as reassuringly as she could. But if she was being honest, she felt exhausted. Like she was taffy being stretched thin, only a matter of time before she'd reach her snapping point.

"I mean, it'd be easier to get to work and Ashley if you'd just move into the basement." Marshall had been offering her a place ever since Miranda had left, probably more for his sanity than her own. It didn't help that he was right though.

"Really, it's fine." Jane plastered a smile on her face.

"At least you could get away from that creep." Marshall's face darkened visibly, he had never been much of a fan of her ex, and he really wasn't happy to know they were still splitting rent.

"Marsha," she said, trying to lighten the mood. "Thank you, but it's alright. The lease is up in a month. I'm already looking for places downtown. I'm going to be okay." She almost believed it herself.

"Right." He said with a sigh and he offered a smile.

"I'm off. You know where everything is and blah blah blah." He went over to Sophie, still in Jane's arms, and kissed the baby's cheek. "Bye, baby. Daddy will see you in two sleeps."

For dinner, she whipped up her specialty: mac and cheese out of a box. Aaron wanted his with hot dog bits, and she had grudgingly agreed. She was glad to see Sophie was uninterested in the bits of meat. Jane liked to think she was rubbing off on her. Jane ate her veggie burger on a portobello mushroom bun with vigor.

Now they were sitting in the living room, watching the Iron Giant. Aaron was completely engrossed with the movie while Sophie and Jane were taking turns building a tower of blocks. Well, Jane was building a tower, Sophie was mostly just knocking them down.

She wasn't too worried when the doorbell rang. She expected it was Mrs. Bennet, the woman who lived next door. She liked to check in on Marshall and Sophie from time to time, knowing all about Miranda and the divorce drama that was still going on.

But she was surprised to see it wasn't Mrs. Bennet. In fact, it was the same man she had seen earlier, not looking at all as if he had been thrown from a moving train. His hair was impeccable and his tweed coat was perfect.

"Oh, hello!" He beamed at her, looking equally surprised. He had the strange laser pointer aimed at the door. "Didn't expect to see you here. Is it alright if I come in?"

"What?" Jane was still struggling to comprehend what he was doing at her brother's home. "No!" She blurted, only opening the door enough so she could see outside.

"Um. Please?" He looked hopeful. "It's just, I've been tracking these creatures- Do you know you've got something red and…stickyall over your shirt?" He was frowning, suddenly distracted by the mess Aaron had left.

"Yeah, thanks…listen. I'm busy." She put her shoulder behind the door, ready to slam it shut. How had he found where she was going? Had he followed her here?

"Yes, sorry. I know this is all a bit untoward, it's just I think there might be something in your basement-"

The sound of something shattering caused her to look over her shoulder, what could they possibly be getting into? When she turned back she realized the man had leaned forward, peering through the doorway with an intense curiosity.

"Something going bump in the night?" He asked with a wry smile.

"I have to go." Jane said abruptly shutting the door in his face.

"But-" She locked the door, and then slammed the deadbolt as well. She hoped that would make it clear to him that he wasn't welcome. He seemed pretty harmless, but she was alone, and with Marshall's kids. Maybe she should call the police.

There was scuffling again, definitely coming from downstairs.

"Aaron? What are you doing down there? What happened to the movie?" She stood at the top of the stairs. The door was wide open, but it normally was. The baby gate was also latched shut, providing a barrier between the steep stairs and the hallway. "Aaron?" She tried again, but he didn't respond. She returned to the living room with a frown. Aaron and Sophie were both still sitting in front of the TV, neither looking like they had moved.

"Did you-" The tinkling was louder this time, like something was knocking around the old boxes of junk Marshall kept downstairs. "Stay here, I'm going to go check on something." She told Aaron. "Keep an eye on your sister."

Jane opened the baby gate, and took the first steps down, flicking on the light switch. But nothing happened. Frowning, she flicked it up and down, but the basement remained dark.

BANGBANGBANG!

Jane jumped, gasping. The pounding was coming from the front door.

"Wait! Let me explain!" The man was still out there, trying the door handle. "Whatever you do, do not go into the basement! Do you hear me?"

Jane retreated from the basement, taking a few steps to the door. She looked out the peephole. The man was pointing that weird green laser pointer at the door.

"You need to leave right now," Jane shouted, latching the door chain for good measure. "Or I'm going to call the cops."

Jane heard the man growl in frustration, but the pounding stopped. After a second, her heart beating wildly, she looked through the peep hole again. The man was gone.

Sighing, Jane turned around. Aaron was standing in the doorway to the living room, hugging the doorjamb.

"Who was that, Auntie Jane?" He asked.

Jane smiled in order to reassure him, even though her heart was still pounding and she was definitely still nervous. "No one, sweetie. Go back to your movie. Auntie Jane just needs to make a phone call."

Because, well, it would make sense to call the cops anyway, right? Jane didn't think she would be able to sleep with the thoughts of the strange man waiting outside the house. As Aaron ambled back to the couch, Jane went into the dining room to retrieve her cell phone. She was digging through her purse when she heard another sound. Like the backdoor in the kitchen opening.

Grabbing her phone, ready to dial 911, Jane turned quickly. But no one was there. Sighing, she shook her head. Must have been her nerves.

She took a couple steps into the kitchen, staring at her phone as she started to dial the police department. She was just about to press send when, suddenly, there was a hand over her mouth and around her waist. She dropped her phone in surprise and it skidded across the room.

"Please don't scream." The man. The man in the bow tie. Jane swallowed a wail, but a nervous squeak did pop out. "I promise I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to help you, actually. Remember that thing on the train? The thing that looked like a spider?" He paused, seeming to want her to answer. She nodded, just to keep him going. "I have reason to believe that there's a nest of them in your basement. I'm here to exterminate them. Well, no, exterminate isn't a good word. It's a bad word, actually. Forget I said that. No, I'm here to take care of them for you. Ok?" He paused once more. She gave another curt nod. "Ok. Good! Now, I'm going to let you go, but, please, please don't scream."

After a second of hesitation, the man let her go. She jumped away from him, spinning around to face him. But she didn't scream. Not because she trusted him. No, she very much did not trust this man. She didn't scream because she didn't want the kids to know that there was something wrong.

Her eyes flicked to the phone now on the far side of the kitchen, but he noticed her glance.

"Just…listen. For one moment." He held up his hands pleadingly, it was unfortunate that he was still between her and the phone. Marshall hadn't had a house phone for years, well, he did, he just didn't have many phones connected to it. Maybe there was still one upstairs… "I'm really honestly trying to help."

"I don't even know who you are." She glared at him but was careful to keep her voice down.

"I'm the Doctor." He grinned, holding out his hand to shake.

"Yeah, you said that before. And I'm seriously starting to doubt it." Doctor's weren't stalkers, they didn't follow people home. They cured diseases and played golf whenever you needed them most. And they certainly didn't wear bow ties. Okay, maybe some did. But they were old. This man wasn't old. She ignored his outstretched hand and he slowly let it drop to his side.

"Oh, well. I'm not a doctor. I'm the Doctor. That's what people call me. Among other things…" He frowned.

"Like the Stalker?" She glared at him.

"Well, not recently." He shrugged.

"Listen buddy," She certainly wasn't going to call him the 'Doctor' how ridiculous was that? "You need to leave right now." She edged back to the doorway, suddenly inspired. There wasn't a lock between the kitchen and the dining room, but she could probably come up with something. That would buy them some time, but where could she go? Run out into the street? They wouldn't be any safer there then in here, and she'd be without her cell.

The phone. Yes! There was one of those old rotary things down in the basement. And the basement door did lock.

The man continued, "I will leave. I promise. It's just, I've got- What are you doing?" Her movements weren't as slick as she'd hoped but she was still too far for him to reach. She jumped back and slammed the door shut, grabbing one of the dining room chairs to wedge beneath the handle which jiggled as he tried it just a moment too late.

"Aaron!" She was shouting as she ran to the living room, he seemed surprised by her panicked voice. "Let's go, fast as you can." She scooped up Sophie and grabbed his hand with the other.

"The movie's not over with," Aaron frowned but let her lead him along anyway.

"Don't go into the basement!" She heard his voice calling from the kitchen where the chair trembled. "Seriously, it would be a very very bad idea!"

"I'm calling the cops!" She called after him, yanking out the baby gate and tossing it into the hall as she started down the stairs with Aaron in tow.

"Who's that?" Aaron frowned as she turned back to shut the door,

"A total nut." She told him, making sure the lock was secure. "Now, help me find that phone. And a flashlight."