Silent Footsteps
Shadowed
Weeks passed, and nothing happened. No leads, no letters, nothing. Our worry began to fade. I wasn't looking over my shoulder all the time now, or making Joey and Jakob play in the backyard, or tagging along with Adrienne every time she went to the grocery store. We had almost begun to let our guard down. Almost.
Nearly three weeks after the fence incident, Joey and I were playing baseball in the front yard. For some odd reason, Adrienne thought it would be better if he could hit the ball out into the street instead of at our freshly cleaned windows. Go figure. He was starting to get pretty good, though. He had a killer swing, and every time he'd knock one out into the street, I'd beamed and told him how great it was, but he'd just grinned, and asked if I would pitch him another ball.
"Hey slugger," Adrienne called from the front door, "time for dinner!" I waved at her with my gloved hand.
"We'll be right in!" I nodded at her. She smiled, and rolled her eyes, but headed back inside. I looked over at Joey, who had a pleading look on his face.
"What?" I asked. He grinned, and held up the bat, ready for another ball. "No, come on, you heard your mother," I shook my head.
"Please? Just one more?" He begged, clasping his hands together. I glanced out into the street, shielding my eyes with my hand from the sinking sun.
"All right, fine. One more. And I do mean one." I caved, looking back at him.
"Yes!" He shouted, and prepared to hit it. I moved back and put the ball in my glove, waiting.
"Armstrong steps to the plate," I narrated in a mock sports announcer tone. "Bottom of the ninth, the game's all tied up. Here comes the pitch!" I wound up and threw the ball. He swung, and sent it flying over the street and into the neighbor's yard.
"Oh! And he hits it! The crowd goes wild!" I pretended to be the roaring crowd as he laughed. "All right," I said, after we'd both stopped laughing. "You go on inside, I'm going to go pick up the balls," I handed him my glove. He nodded and headed towards the house, dragging the bat behind him. I jogged across the street and started to look for the baseballs. After I had collected them all, I tossed them into the garage, and went inside to join my family for dinner.
Joey and I told Adrienne all about our baseball "games". Jakob seemed much more interested in his dinner, besides his peas. Adrienne tried four times to get him to eat them, but he simply refused. I couldn't help but think that he must really hate them if Adie couldn't even make him eat them. I tried not to laugh when he attempted to hide them in his napkin, which did not go unnoticed by Adrienne. Finally, she gave in and told him he didn't have to eat them, but that he'd better not ask her for a Popsicle after dinner.
Much later that night, I was sound asleep in bed, when I felt Adrienne jump. It whisked me back into consciousness, and I sat up groggily. I tried to ask her what was wrong, but she shushed me. I stared at her out of one eye, the other not able to take in the moonlight. She looked around the room, but then shook her head.
"What is it?" I tried again. She looked at me and folded her arms against the comforter.
"Nothing, it's nothing. I thought I heard something," she waved it off.
"Heard what?" I mumbled, rubbing my eyes.
"Footsteps," she murmured under her breath. My head snapped up.
"I'll go check it out," I stated, getting up out of bed. I stumbled around the room looking for something I could use to defend myself.
"No, it's okay, I think I dreamt it," she shook her head. "They stopped as soon as I opened my eyes, it was definitely a dream." I stared at her suspiciously for a moment or two, but she looked so sure of herself that I climbed back into bed. She gave me a kiss on the cheek, and I wrapped my arms around her. After just a few minutes, I fell into a cold, dreamless sleep.
The next morning, I could hear the water running in the bathroom off of our room, and knew that meant Adrienne was about to get in the shower. I felt exhausted, despite sleeping all night. I rolled over, and was thinking about going back to bed when I heard a blood curdling scream ring out from the bathroom. I sprang out of bed and opened the door to see Adrienne, looking white as a ghost, holding a little red envelope.
"What does it say?" She just stared at it. "Adrienne, what does it say?" I could hear the fear in my own voice. She passed me the note, her hands shaking. I looked down at the white note inside.
YOUR WIFE LOOKS SO PRETTY WHEN SHE'S ASLEEP.
Nearly three weeks after the fence incident, Joey and I were playing baseball in the front yard. For some odd reason, Adrienne thought it would be better if he could hit the ball out into the street instead of at our freshly cleaned windows. Go figure. He was starting to get pretty good, though. He had a killer swing, and every time he'd knock one out into the street, I'd beamed and told him how great it was, but he'd just grinned, and asked if I would pitch him another ball.
"Hey slugger," Adrienne called from the front door, "time for dinner!" I waved at her with my gloved hand.
"We'll be right in!" I nodded at her. She smiled, and rolled her eyes, but headed back inside. I looked over at Joey, who had a pleading look on his face.
"What?" I asked. He grinned, and held up the bat, ready for another ball. "No, come on, you heard your mother," I shook my head.
"Please? Just one more?" He begged, clasping his hands together. I glanced out into the street, shielding my eyes with my hand from the sinking sun.
"All right, fine. One more. And I do mean one." I caved, looking back at him.
"Yes!" He shouted, and prepared to hit it. I moved back and put the ball in my glove, waiting.
"Armstrong steps to the plate," I narrated in a mock sports announcer tone. "Bottom of the ninth, the game's all tied up. Here comes the pitch!" I wound up and threw the ball. He swung, and sent it flying over the street and into the neighbor's yard.
"Oh! And he hits it! The crowd goes wild!" I pretended to be the roaring crowd as he laughed. "All right," I said, after we'd both stopped laughing. "You go on inside, I'm going to go pick up the balls," I handed him my glove. He nodded and headed towards the house, dragging the bat behind him. I jogged across the street and started to look for the baseballs. After I had collected them all, I tossed them into the garage, and went inside to join my family for dinner.
Joey and I told Adrienne all about our baseball "games". Jakob seemed much more interested in his dinner, besides his peas. Adrienne tried four times to get him to eat them, but he simply refused. I couldn't help but think that he must really hate them if Adie couldn't even make him eat them. I tried not to laugh when he attempted to hide them in his napkin, which did not go unnoticed by Adrienne. Finally, she gave in and told him he didn't have to eat them, but that he'd better not ask her for a Popsicle after dinner.
Much later that night, I was sound asleep in bed, when I felt Adrienne jump. It whisked me back into consciousness, and I sat up groggily. I tried to ask her what was wrong, but she shushed me. I stared at her out of one eye, the other not able to take in the moonlight. She looked around the room, but then shook her head.
"What is it?" I tried again. She looked at me and folded her arms against the comforter.
"Nothing, it's nothing. I thought I heard something," she waved it off.
"Heard what?" I mumbled, rubbing my eyes.
"Footsteps," she murmured under her breath. My head snapped up.
"I'll go check it out," I stated, getting up out of bed. I stumbled around the room looking for something I could use to defend myself.
"No, it's okay, I think I dreamt it," she shook her head. "They stopped as soon as I opened my eyes, it was definitely a dream." I stared at her suspiciously for a moment or two, but she looked so sure of herself that I climbed back into bed. She gave me a kiss on the cheek, and I wrapped my arms around her. After just a few minutes, I fell into a cold, dreamless sleep.
The next morning, I could hear the water running in the bathroom off of our room, and knew that meant Adrienne was about to get in the shower. I felt exhausted, despite sleeping all night. I rolled over, and was thinking about going back to bed when I heard a blood curdling scream ring out from the bathroom. I sprang out of bed and opened the door to see Adrienne, looking white as a ghost, holding a little red envelope.
"What does it say?" She just stared at it. "Adrienne, what does it say?" I could hear the fear in my own voice. She passed me the note, her hands shaking. I looked down at the white note inside.
YOUR WIFE LOOKS SO PRETTY WHEN SHE'S ASLEEP.