Prologue
Marie reaches over for her apple juice glass on the table, never tearing her eyes away from the horror fiction book in her hands. She sips it then brings it back down on the table.
The soft humming of the TV echoes in the background. With this thrilling book in her hand, Marie doesn't pay much attention to the comedy on the TV.
That's always been her thing.
Books.
Whenever she's hooked on a thrilling horror, she finds it difficult to pay attention to anything else. With her parents on some romantic dinner at Sociale, Marie has the house all to herself.
She settles in her blanket and flips the next page, just in time to notice the flickering of the light. She looks up and stares at it for a moment before it flickers back to life. When it does, she re-buries her head in the book.
Moments pass and the light flickers again. Marie looks up again, this time in annoyance. Not only is the damn light distracting her from screaming inwardly at the girl to turn the fudge around, but it may not be a good sign.
It goes back to normal.
Marie sighs in relief as she reaches over for her glass of juice. The loud shrill of the telephone stops her mid-motion. She glances over at it in slight confusion then looks at her phone. She takes it. Could it be that her parents tried her phone but couldn't get through so they're calling the landline?
It could be.
But it's not.
There's no missed call. She puts the phone and book on the table then walks towards the ringing phone. When she's about to pick it up, it stops ringing.
She shrugs and turns around to walk back. As if on cue, the power goes out and Marie is plunged into darkness.
"Fuck!" she cusses then quickly composes herself. "Oops no cussing. Fudge. I mean fudge. No peer pressure getting to me."
She stands trying to adjust her eyes to the darkness of the room. When the room is a bit clearer, she carefully makes her way back to the couch. She feels at the table, looking for her phone.
"Where is the damn phone? Ah! Got it!" she triumphs and lights it up. She lights the flashlight and takes her glass to the kitchen. She comes back and takes her phone, blanket then turns off the TV before making her way to the stairs.
Four steps up the stairs, the shrill of the telephone stops her dead in her tracks. Marie's whole body freezes and a foreign feeling overwhelms her.
Fear.
She rarely ever feels this feeling.
The power is out giving absolutely no excuse for the ringing of the landline.
A cold chill runs down her spine as she turns around slowly, not daring to breathe.
It's still ringing.
Everything in her is screaming for her not to walk down those stairs and over to the phone but her legs carry themselves anyway.
Taking slow calculated steps, she reaches the phone. Her breaths come out sharply, reflecting her fear. Her hand reaches out over the phone, contemplating on whether to investigate or run.
Her hands tremble as the need to investigate overwhelms her. She picks up the phone and slowly brings it to her ear.
There's raspy breathing followed by an otherworldly voice.
"Congratulations," it spits out in amusement. "You've just answered your death."
Marie lets out an ear-splitting scream.
••••••
Henry opens the door for his wife and closes it shortly after she gets in.
Ivy smiles. "Thanks Love."
She hears the TV then frowns and turns to Henry. "I guess someone's book got a little too interesting, she's still reading."
Henry laughs. "She's usually in bed by now."
Ivy nods. Henry grips his stomach and groans earning a chuckle from Ivy.
"I told you not to eat too much cheese. You know it gives you a stomach ache," she tells him.
He shrugs her off. "Not my fault Sociale makes the best cheese. But I better run before I shit myself."
Ivy laughs and watches him sprint up the stairs. She laughs even harder when he lets out a fart.
"That wasn't me!"
"Yeah of course!" Ivy laughs. "It was a stair creaking which we've never heard before now!"
She shakes her head and moves into the living room. Her smile dissipates when she sees no one in the living room. The blanket is still on the unoccupied couch, the glass of juice half full on the table and the TV still on.
No sign of Marie.
"Marie! We're home!" Ivy shouts. She turns to go into the kitchen but something catches her eye.
The landline receiver hanging down. Marie's phone on the floor, her book beside the phone.
Something's wrong.
"Marie?!" she shouts urgently this time, heading to the landline. She picks up the phone and book then turns to go to the kitchen.
No one in there.
Ivy starts panicking. Where could she be? She runs up the stairs, almost bumping into Henry.
"Woah! What's wrong?" he asks, worried.
"Marie.... Is she upstairs? Found her phone and her book by the landline and the receiver was down. Now I can't find her. In the kitchen, she's not there...." Ivy says hurriedly on the verge of breaking into tears.
Henry holds her shoulders. "Slow down. Maybe she's in the attic or basement."
Ivy shakes her head. Something's wrong.
"No she's not. We have to find her," she says.
Henry nods. "Okay. You check upstairs. I'll check the basement."
They both hurry around the house, shouting Marie's name but there's no answer. There's just silence and no sign of her.
The waterworks start for Ivy as the possibility of something bad happening to her daughter seems to cement more and more with every passing second.
Downstairs Henry worries multiply. He takes out his phone and dials Marie's number.
"Shit!" he cusses when he remembers that Ivy said she saw Marie's phone.
His only option is to call the police.
"Did you find her?"
Henry looks up to see a worried Ivy. His mere head shake sets off a trigger and Ivy leans against the wall for support and her body shakes with crying.
Henry explains the situation to the police. After the call he sighs heavily, wishing his daughter is at least still alive.
