you from? How did you get here?" Noble asked.
"Please, sir, we're lost," the boy repeated. "We got separated from our mom."
"Then how can you call her if she's out looking for you?"
"Please, sir, open the door and let us in. Let us use the phone."
"Go away!" Noble said. Fear had grown within him. It was like a virus, spreading throughout his gut and working its way up his throat.
The oldest boy raised his head, slowly. Noble told himself to turn away, that if he saw those dead, black eyes he would go mad, but he found himself unable to turn his head. The boy tilted his head back and those black eyes were like the eyes of a shark, staring through the glass and into Noble's mind. Noble felt his blood turn to ice and was unable to move.
"Hello, Noble," the boy said. "Let us in so we can get this over with."
It was as if the world had tilted wildly on its axis. Hearing his name come out of that face with those black eyes made Noble feel like he was finally tipping over into insanity.
The eyes were pitch black. They were overly large, taking up so much of the boy's face. Then the other boy and the little girl raised their heads and their eyes were also dark. However, as Noble stared, the blackness behind their eyes seemed almost alive. Something was looking through them right back at him, but Noble was sure that these things on the porch were not actually living children.
"H-how did you know m-my name?" Noble whispered.
Those eyes felt as if they were burning into the back of his brain. He could not tear his gaze away from those endlessly black eyes. The other two children raised their heads and stared at Noble, too, and now it felt as if three people were burrowing into his brain.
"We've known about you for a long time now, Noble," the three children said in unison. Their voices were indistinct from each other, monotone. Dead. "We've been watching you for some time now."
"What are you talking about?"
"You know what we're talking about, Noble," the children replied. "You've been experiencing strange things all your life, haven't you? Well, now it's time. Now it's time to join us."
"J-join you?" Noble barely recognized his own voice. He was having trouble thinking. Strange thoughts were filling his head.
Open the door.
Just go outside.
Join them.
It makes sense.
He had a flash, remembering the time he and his wife were in a restaurant and he was waiting for her while she was in the restroom. How he had been waiting at a spot where there was no way he could have missed her. How he had walked down the aisle toward the restrooms and looked back to see different people at the cash register.
"Yes," Noble whispered. Why did he say that?
He had to turn his head away. He had to stop listening. Stop staring.
Just then Eveline Paulson came up from behind him, grabbed his shoulders and pulled him away from the door. Noble felt the hypnotic hold over him instantly vanish, but his head was still fuzzy. Eveline's face was filled with terror and she reached back and slapped Noble across the face.
"Ouch!" Noble said, putting his hand to the side of his face.
"Snap out of it!" Eveline said.
"Yeah, sorry," Noble replied. "We have to get out of here."
"They're at the back of the house, too," Eveline said. "I went back there and looked. There are a dozen of these creepy kids in the backyard."
Noble shook his head.
"What?" He said, sounding lame and stupid. "What do you mean a dozen more?"
"There are at least 12 of them out there," Eveline said. "They all started talking at once, too. What the fuck are they talking about that they've been watching you? Who the fuck are you?"
"I have no idea," Noble said. He was close to panic. It was hard to think straight. He could still feel fingers in his brain, probing, searching, trying to convince him to come back to the door. Open the door. Come outside. "I have to get out of here. I have to get to Washington, D.C."
"What the hell does Washington, D.C. have to do with this?" Eveline
"Please, sir, we're lost," the boy repeated. "We got separated from our mom."
"Then how can you call her if she's out looking for you?"
"Please, sir, open the door and let us in. Let us use the phone."
"Go away!" Noble said. Fear had grown within him. It was like a virus, spreading throughout his gut and working its way up his throat.
The oldest boy raised his head, slowly. Noble told himself to turn away, that if he saw those dead, black eyes he would go mad, but he found himself unable to turn his head. The boy tilted his head back and those black eyes were like the eyes of a shark, staring through the glass and into Noble's mind. Noble felt his blood turn to ice and was unable to move.
"Hello, Noble," the boy said. "Let us in so we can get this over with."
It was as if the world had tilted wildly on its axis. Hearing his name come out of that face with those black eyes made Noble feel like he was finally tipping over into insanity.
The eyes were pitch black. They were overly large, taking up so much of the boy's face. Then the other boy and the little girl raised their heads and their eyes were also dark. However, as Noble stared, the blackness behind their eyes seemed almost alive. Something was looking through them right back at him, but Noble was sure that these things on the porch were not actually living children.
"H-how did you know m-my name?" Noble whispered.
Those eyes felt as if they were burning into the back of his brain. He could not tear his gaze away from those endlessly black eyes. The other two children raised their heads and stared at Noble, too, and now it felt as if three people were burrowing into his brain.
"We've known about you for a long time now, Noble," the three children said in unison. Their voices were indistinct from each other, monotone. Dead. "We've been watching you for some time now."
"What are you talking about?"
"You know what we're talking about, Noble," the children replied. "You've been experiencing strange things all your life, haven't you? Well, now it's time. Now it's time to join us."
"J-join you?" Noble barely recognized his own voice. He was having trouble thinking. Strange thoughts were filling his head.
Open the door.
Just go outside.
Join them.
It makes sense.
He had a flash, remembering the time he and his wife were in a restaurant and he was waiting for her while she was in the restroom. How he had been waiting at a spot where there was no way he could have missed her. How he had walked down the aisle toward the restrooms and looked back to see different people at the cash register.
"Yes," Noble whispered. Why did he say that?
He had to turn his head away. He had to stop listening. Stop staring.
Just then Eveline Paulson came up from behind him, grabbed his shoulders and pulled him away from the door. Noble felt the hypnotic hold over him instantly vanish, but his head was still fuzzy. Eveline's face was filled with terror and she reached back and slapped Noble across the face.
"Ouch!" Noble said, putting his hand to the side of his face.
"Snap out of it!" Eveline said.
"Yeah, sorry," Noble replied. "We have to get out of here."
"They're at the back of the house, too," Eveline said. "I went back there and looked. There are a dozen of these creepy kids in the backyard."
Noble shook his head.
"What?" He said, sounding lame and stupid. "What do you mean a dozen more?"
"There are at least 12 of them out there," Eveline said. "They all started talking at once, too. What the fuck are they talking about that they've been watching you? Who the fuck are you?"
"I have no idea," Noble said. He was close to panic. It was hard to think straight. He could still feel fingers in his brain, probing, searching, trying to convince him to come back to the door. Open the door. Come outside. "I have to get out of here. I have to get to Washington, D.C."
"What the hell does Washington, D.C. have to do with this?" Eveline
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