Prologue: Death By Death
Emerson was always careful and quiet when he stayed up past his bedtime. The flashlight shone on the book he’d hidden under his pillow earlier in the day, so his parents wouldn’t suspect a thing.
The book was cool; Emerson had read it several times, and it was always the book he’d ask his mother or father to read to him before bed. It was all about different colours, more than the type of colours his first-grade teacher would talk about at school.
He could confidently say that the reason for him staying up later than he was supposed to was also his parents and their yelling's fault, not that he’d ever say that to their faces.
There were times when Emerson would fall asleep before the yelling and be abruptly woken by some curse word he wasn’t supposed to know but did anyway. And it wasn’t like Emerson had ever said the words, just locked them away in a part of his brain for future future use.
Emerson never knew what his parents argued about; they acted fine during the day, when Emerson and his little sister Jade were awake. They never even argued during Jade’s naptime, maybe it had to do with Emerson still being awake, but more times than not, he’d be across the street playing with the Carlson twins.
Even in that moment, he could hear them yelling, something about school funds and family? He never tried to guess what the words he caught were a part of, the bigger conversation, the bigger picture. It didn’t affect him, so why should he care, right?
When the voices stopped abruptly, Emerson slid off his bed, the sudden silence deafening. He slid his book between his bed and toy chest, where a few other books he liked to read sneakily were “professionally” shoved.
As he edged towards his door, he was glad for one thing: a working door. Jade’s was awkward, never closing properly, opening on its own when the adults managed to get it closed. But the most important and annoying thing? It screamed whenever it was opened too slowly, like it wanted the opener to go faster.
As he opened the door, the TV flashing what must’ve been the ten o’clock news lit up the hallway, making it slightly easier to see towards the foyer, which split off to the hall, kitchen, and living room. There, in the door frame leading to the living room, was a person. Too short to be his father, too tall to be his mother. A new person.
Lying on the floor behind the person… was something. Emerson didn’t know what, but it reminded him of oobleck, but with black food colouring instead of the brighter colours he’d seen people use. The way it was sitting reminded Emerson of the stray dog that sometimes stopped for a nap on their front porch.
He didn’t move, frozen in his doorway as the person disappeared into the living room. If something was being said, he couldn’t hear what, and that terrified him more than anything. Who, besides Uncle Matt and Aunt Kristy, had the power to completely silence his parents?
His head twisted painfully fast as a familiar squeal reached his ears. Jade’s door, which was just down the hall from Emerson’s room, had been opened. Standing in the doorway, rubbing her sleep-filled eyes, was Jade. Her hair was tangled from sleep.
The thing lying in the foyer also looked up, tilting its head as it looked down the hall. Its menacing yellow eyes locked on Emerson, as if assessing him, then they moved to Jade. It stood, stretching its back like a cat.
The person returned to the doorway, but it wasn’t looking down the hall; it was looking at the creature. “Find something interesting?” It was a woman’s voice, and oddly familiar in the way it shouldn’t be.
“A-”
That was all Emerson heard before the woman’s hand snapped up, but nothing seemed to happen. Emerson knew something did, though, because he felt the sudden cold.
The creature started down the hall as the woman moved back into the living room, waving the creature on, as if giving it permission to do… whatever it intended to do.
As if she didn't know what she was doing, Jade stepped out of her room and towards the thing, her hand extended. Emerson’s eyes widened in panic, and he moved forward, slipping ever so slightly because of his socked feet. His hand latched around Jade’s tiny wrist.
She blinked a few times as Emerson pulled her back, the creature still walking slowly, menacingly, towards them. She looked up at Emerson, but he wasn’t looking at her; his eyes were stuck on it.
He pulled Jade closer to his room, and the closer he seemed to get, the faster the thing seemed to move, as if it was determined to catch them and do… whatever to them.
Was that mystery woman the reason for the sudden silence? For the creature being there? For Jade’s weird behaviour?
Did she do something to his parents…?
