The Call That Made the Difference
Sarah's POV
The coffee cup fell to the ground after slipping out of my grasp.
The ceramic pieces scattered on the floor of the police station, and hot coffee splashed everywhere. With my heart pounding, I leaped back. With bodies buried in the ground, silver eyes observing me, and a voice whispering my name in the shadows, the nightmare had seemed so real.
"Hey Sarah! Are you alright?" Mike Torres, the detective, called from his desk.
I lied and grabbed paper towels to clean up the mess. "Yeah, just clumsy," I said. My hands continued to shake. For the past three nights, I had been experiencing the same nightmare, but I was unable to disclose it to anyone. They would believe I was going crazy.
I jumped once more when the phone on my desk rang. I inhaled deeply before picking it up.
"Detective Chen."
"Oh, I'm so glad you responded!" The voice was tremulous and frightened. "This is Elm Street's Mrs. Dorothy Huang. My neighbor's house is experiencing a horrible situation, and I urgently need assistance."
I picked up a notepad and pen. "Mrs. Huang, slow down. What sort of issue are you facing?
"It's Marcus Rivera's house next door, not mine. Every night at precisely three in the morning, terrible noises emanate from that location. "And the odor." She let out a gagging noise. "Every day it gets worse. I've lost the ability to even open my windows.
"Mrs. Huang, what kinds of sounds?"
"Weeping. groaning. There are times when it sounds like someone is in excruciating pain. Additionally, I witnessed someone using a flashlight to dig in his backyard in the middle of the night yesterday. Detective Chen, I'm afraid. Very frightened.
My stomach turned over. I had another flashback to the nightmare: bodies, dirt, and digging. "This morning, I'll come have a look."
Mrs. Huang whispered into the phone, "There's something else." "Marcus has a new tenant. A female. However, in my forty years of living on this street, I have never encountered someone like her.
"What do you mean?"
"She only leaves the house at night. Never in the daytime. And when I do get to see her." Mrs. Huang's voice became nearly silent. "Her skin glows in the moonlight because it is so pale. Additionally, her eyes have an animal-like ability to reflect light.
I lost the pen in my hands. "Are you certain about what you saw, Mrs. Huang?"
"Detective, I am seventy-seven years old. My eyes are functioning perfectly. This woman is not typical. Additionally, the sounds and smells have gotten ten times worse since she moved in two weeks ago.
The address, 1247 Elm Street, is what I wrote down. "I'll be there in an hour."
"Please move quickly. The noises kept me up last night. My cat was hiding beneath my porch this morning, too afraid to come inside. Animals are aware of the presence of evil.
I looked at my notepad after Mrs. Huang hung up. I couldn't recall why, but the address seemed familiar. I opened the file of Marcus Rivera on my PC.
My blood froze.
Prior to his termination six months ago, Marcus was employed at the town bank. Three months ago, his wife Linda simply disappeared without telling anyone where she was going. Linda never used her credit cards or called her family, so the missing person report remained open.
However, the fact that I had previously dealt with a case involving that same house made my skin crawl. James Mitchell, a traveling salesman, had booked a room there and vanished. James's family said he would never leave without calling them, despite Marcus's claim that James left in the middle of the night.
The same house was linked to two missing persons. And now there were odd smells and sounds.
After grabbing my jacket, I made my way to the door. "I'm investigating a domestic conflict on Elm Street, Torres."
"Want backup?"
"Not just yet. Most likely a complaint from a noisy neighbor.
However, that nightmare feeling returned as I made my way to my car. Now that it was raining more heavily, every drop felt like a warning. In an attempt to get rid of the growing panic in my chest, I turned on the ignition and headed for Elm Street.
From the outside, the house at 1247 Elm Street appeared to be normal, but as soon as I parked, I had a strange feeling. The air smelled sweet and rotten, like flowers left in dirty water for too long, but the rain had stopped.
Before I could even exit my car, Mrs. Huang showed up at her front door. She clutched her sweater tightly around her shoulders, a small woman with anxious eyes.
"Detective Chen! I appreciate your prompt arrival. Can you detect the stench? It's worse today.
I could. I felt sick to my stomach. "Mrs. Huang, when did this start?"
"Just after the new woman moved in two weeks ago. Marcus was ecstatic when she paid him, and she arrived at night with just one black suitcase. All cash, six months' rent in advance. However, I've been observing, and Detective—something is seriously amiss with her."
"What do you mean?"
"She doesn't leave the house during the day. Never. She moves as if she's floating when she does come out at night. No footsteps. Not a shadow. "And her eyes." Mrs. Huang shuddered. "In the dark, they glow silver."
I glanced at Marcus Rivera's residence. Despite the fact that it was midday, heavy curtains were drawn over all the windows. Inside, there were no lights on.
"Have you seen Marcus recently, Mrs. Huang?"
"That is yet another peculiarity. Every morning when I got my mail, he would wave at me. But ever since she moved in, he always appears afraid. He no longer even looks me in the eyes.
My police radio came to life. "We have an update on the Linda Rivera missing person case, Detective Chen."
I grabbed the radio. "Go ahead."
"In California, we checked with Linda's sister. Regarding a move to Seattle, Linda never got in touch with her. Three months have passed since anyone touched her bank account. The phone has been cut off. She seems to have vanished into thin air.
Mrs. Huang took hold of my arm. "Isn't Linda Rivera Marcus's wife? The one who allegedly left?"
"Yes."
"Detective, I witnessed Linda and Marcus having a late-night argument in their backyard three months ago. She was sobbing and pleading with him about something. Marcus informed everyone the following day that she had relocated to Seattle. However, I never witnessed her calling a moving truck or packing anything.
My heart began to race. "Mrs. Huang, please enter your home and secure the doors. Wait until I say it's safe to go outside.
"What's wrong?"
Before I could respond, light burst from every window in Marcus Rivera's home. Then, as fast, they were all dark once more.
And during that fleeting flash of light, I noticed a pale figure observing me from the upstairs window.
The figure waved one
hand up.
I could see its eyes gleaming silver in the darkness even from the other side of the yard.