That One Time

We'd been in the house a few days. We were just visiting and it was the last day of our trip. Mom and Aunt had gone to a store that none of us felt like walking through, so we had stayed home.
We all decided the room with the bunk bed and TV was too small for all three of us, and two gloomy. So we sat around the dining room table, letting the huge wall length windows on the other side of the room set a bit of a brighter mood as the sun drifted down the sky in the early afternoon.
It was so quiet in the house besides our own voices. The ferrets were all asleep. We were the only ones home, so none of the televisions were on. Sounds drifted in from outside. Cars passing by, birds chirping. I think someone across the street was mowing their lawn. Normal suburban sounds.
We were talking about serious things. It was a very deep conversation at the time, though now I can't remember very much of anything that was said.
Then something changed. I felt my body go stiff as an all too familiar feeling came over me. We weren't as alone as we thought. I glanced at Erin and she looked back at me with eyes that said she felt it too. It was here. We were still fairly new at sensing these things, so we couldn't tell where it was. Then Jessica, unaware of the darkness watching us, said that she wanted something from the room. I didn't feel comfortable letting her go alone, so Erin and I rose from our places to follow her.
She was ahead of me, about to step into the small hallway that held the door. I was on the other side of the living room when it hit me. I froze and said, "Jessica. Do not open that door."
It was too late though. As I had said it she had already been reaching out for the door. Her hand connected and the door swung open.
To her eyes there was nothing there. But I could see it in my mind's eye. A tall, dark figure, standing just inside the door. It had been waiting for us to go in. I suddenly felt very vulnerable standing there. I ushered the other two back into the dining room.
I could feel its presence. Almost like an invisible force field throughout the house. Where we clustered in the dining room was the only space it didn't touch. If I had gotten up and tried to walk through the kitchen it probably would have felt tangible, the power was so thick. Erin and I told Jessica what was going on. When she asked what it looked like I saw a twinge of fear in her expression.
"Why? Did you see something?"
"Just a minute ago, when you two were saying that, I saw a tall, black figure, walking outside the window. Just on the other side of the fence."
That fence was six feet tall. The fact that it had shown itself to her terrified me. I didn't want her to suffer like Erin and I had been.
We all sat there for what felt like hours. Nervous conversation would start and fade occasionally as we all wished that we had gone along to the store after all. There came to a point where Jessica said she had to use the restroom. I felt uncomfortable letting her go anywhere alone, but we didn't have much choice in the matter, for obvious reasons.
She left and Erin and I sat in silence.
When she returned her face was pale and her eyes wide.
"When I was flushing the toilet the shower curtain started swaying like someone had slapped it! Then when I reached to open the door it sounded like someone knocked on it!"
We could only stare at her soberly.

Finally Mom and Aunt were back. We went out to eat. We were all still very uncomfortable, even though none of us would talk further on the matter.

Back at the house we were lying in bed. It was watching us from the other side of the tiny room. Then K.C. came. It seemed to vanish, though if it actually went away I can't say. K.C. was like our night light in the lonely dark. We were all laughing again. Smiling. He made everything OK. I was able to go asleep feeling safe and content.

In my dream it was back. It was terrorizing us even more. I actually feared for Erin and Holly's lives.
I was speaking to Aunt outside. We were sitting on a bench that in reality isn't there. Out of the shadows a long fingered, bony black hand grasped my ankle and pulled. I was dragged across the field through the dark and past my own home which stood in a patch of moonlight.
Just at the edge of that patch of light stood it. It was tall and black and watched me with blazing red eyes and I was dragged into the shadows.

I woke to something holding my leg, trying to pull me from the top bunk of the bed. I kicked out and the sensation left. I sat shaking. Finally I called out to Jessica. She was awake. I crawled down from the top bunk, lay by her side, and wept. She held me and asked what had happened. I could only repeat, "It's trying to get us! It's trying to get Erin! It's trying to get Holly and me!"
Sometime during this, Erin awoke. I could hear Jessica whisper to her that she wasn't sure what was wrong, but that something had happened. Erin stayed quiet. Jessica sang a lullaby. She opened her phone and let Erin play Tetris so that there would be light.
I was still shaking and scared. I was afraid to close my eyes. Afraid that it would come again.
Suddenly I felt someone from behind, holding me. A soft male voice spoke gently in my ear.
"Shh... It's OK. I won't let it get you. I'm here. I won't let it get you."
The presence comforted me like nothing and no one ever had before. As it gently whispered reassurances and stroked my head softly I drifted off into sleep once again.