Vacant Read online

  Vacant

  S. Graham

  Copyright © 2021, S. Graham

  All rights reserved.

  This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.

  This book is inspired by true events, and includes fictional work. Some of the names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents in this book may be the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events may be purely coincidental.

  For my family.

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Chapter 1

  Each October, thousands of haunted houses open up all across the country. Thrill-seekers look for the heart-pumping jump scare, letting out the screams of pure terror. Actors posing as zombies, dolls, clowns, ghosts, and children all wanting one thing from you: scare you beyond anything you can ever imagine, and send you home so shaken up sleep is unachievable. People pay to be petrified and scared to death. Some don't even make it through the haunted houses; the terror seems too real to them.

  What if instead of waiting until October's newest scary haunted house to walk through, your own home was that living nightmare? No actors, no props; just a safe place you once called home, the safe place that's no longer your safe haven. Every single night, you would pray for daylight to come faster, terrified to open your eyes at night and witness something so unimaginable it would send a scream ripping out of your throat.

  I used to search for that haunted house every October until that haunted house became my own.

  "Becca? Becca? Earth to Becca," I hear my name and realize that I'm in our car looking out the passenger window in a complete daze.

  "What are you thinking about?" Mitch asks.

  "Nothing, just some random thought!" An uncomfortable sigh comes out.

  "Well, what you should be thinking about are these houses we've seen, we have just one left and one of them has to be our next home."

  Mitch and I met 21 years ago in the one place they say you would never meet the forever one, in a nightclub. Boy, did we show them. A strong marriage and two beautiful sons together; having the love of my life as my best friend made it that much better.

  Looking out the car window, I brush my hand through my hair.

  "I'm so tired of moving and unpacking and packing again. Promise me this is the last one for a while."

  Due to Mitch's job, we have been moving every one to two years for the last ten years. I feel lucky to have such an amazing husband with a great job; it allows us to have the lifestyle we want to live with our boys. The only price we pay is relocating where they need him, whenever they need him. My son Connor is seven, and Logan is almost four and a half. To them, the constant moving around is exciting with new rooms and new bedroom themes. Of course, the pool and hot tub are icing on the chocolate cake — a whole new adventure for small boys with tons of energy.

  "Listen, I don't like moving either, but this one should be the last one for a while. All we have to do is find the right one here in Dallas."

  We have been all over North Texas, and the heat index is through the roof. At this point, I'm just about done looking. Any house would be good just to end the search. I love Texas: the people and the country lifestyle are my favorite part. Being a country girl at heart brought up on a farm, so Texas feels a little like a home away from home.

  "Here it is." Mitch says.

  We pull into a golf course community entrance with a very well-manicured property. Then drive past two outdoor community pools and parks. There are kids playing on the streets and families riding golf carts in their neighborhood. It looks nice, but I'm not sold yet. Unfortunately, the time of year to look for a rental with what we need doesn't leave much to desire. It doesn't help that the housing market is at an all-time low with not many choices available. Either a great house with a low-rating school or the other way around. We have no time to wait on what else would come on the market; this is it. We have to move in four weeks, and so far, it looks like nothing is leaning in our favor. I want to buy a home to put our roots down, but something inside me is uncertain about how long we will be here. History has a funny way of not giving me a sense of settling down and growing old in one spot anytime soon.

  After driving through the community, we finally pulled into the driveway of 1220 Greenway Close.

  "Well, it has a nice curb appeal and a double garage!" I say.

  "That's the spirit, Becca. Let's go take a look."

  "Wake the boys up, all this driving has them napping which is completely out of the ordinary for them."

  Gently, my hands stroke their sweet little faces. "Boys, last house. Let's stretch our legs".

  They open their sleepy eyes. "Are we here? Yay! Logan, let's go see!"

  The boys are fully charged again as they shoot out from the back at rocket speed. Logan needs a bit of assistance to keep up with his older brother. We step out of the car to see William, our realtor and family relocation specialist, hired by Mitch's company. William has been a realtor for quite some time and is hoping to finally retire next month. Looking tired, William gets out of his car, and he walked up the driveway at a slow pace as if every step was exhausting for him.

  "This is the last one today. Master bedroom down, three bedrooms up with kids living area, two and a half bathrooms, fire place, pool and a school down the street with a 9/10 rating."

  "Sounds good," Mitch says, "This could be the one." He looks over at me with a wink and smile.

  I can't help but smile back. He's so cheesy but always optimistic—a true kid at heart.

  William unlocks the front door, and the boys push past him to get in first.

  "Unlike the others, this one is vacant and has been for some time."

  "Why is that?" I ask. The smell of fresh paint and carpet hit me as if it was just done yesterday, not to mention how hot it is with no air movement for God-knows-how-long.

  "Not sure!" William continues. "Could be because a company looks after it for the original owner; it can sometimes be a pain with getting things fixed or looked at. You have a whole process for everything. You have to call in, create a ticket and so on and so forth."

  We walk around the first floor and look around while positively commenting on the wide-open concept. The living room has floor-to-ceiling windows with a nice view of the sparkling blue pool in the backyard. We open the back door and step out onto the deck.

  "Babe, look at this outdoor kitchen, it wasn't even mentioned!" Mitch fumbles through the papers.

  "Yeah I see, crazy." I look around and inspect everything. "So how long has this been vacant?"

  Williams is fast to reply, "It says here… just around eight months."

  "This price, and it hasn't been rented? Is something wrong with it?" The rental price is $700 lower than the others we looked at today, and they were much older
than this one.

  "No, I don't think so," replies William. "I think it's just the application process that's usually a pain; a big deterrent!"

  Leaving the men to talk, I start heading inside and down the hall. Upstairs to the left side, the boys are already loving the open empty space playing tag. "Settle down, boys, let's not get carried away."

  The banister looks over the front door entrance and not far from the first bedroom. I step into the rather small room on the right side of the top of the stairs and walk across to the window. The window looks down on the neighbor's side of the house, and it was noticeable how close we are to the next home. A creaking sound is behind me. I turn around and see the bedroom door slowly closing shut.

  "Boys?" I frown, not sure why the door closed with no windows open. Even the air conditioner hasn't been on for some time. Must be the kids, I think to myself. A crisp cool draft comes from what feels like the floor going up my legs, instantly feeling head-to-toe goosebumps. With the coolness on my face, my whole body shutters. Looking around for the vent, I notice it's on the other side of the room, on the left side of the ceiling. I felt a rather unsettling feeling; my hair gently moves as if a small fan is blowing in the room. I head for the door that has now closed completely shut. The door handle is as cold as ice, almost stinging my hand. The door opens fine, and I'm somewhat relieved as my mind starts racing to the moments in question. "Odd how cold that doorknob was," I say out loud while looking down at my hand.

  Everyone downstairs is obviously having fun as they finish exploring the house. Heading to the top of the stairs, I start to make my way down to the first landing. Overtaken by a powerful sensation to look behind me, I try to resist. Look, look now! I scare myself and lose my footing; I stumble on the last stair and look back to see nothing was behind me. Leaving me with an uneasy feeling, I continue down the hall with a little speed to my step to reach my family, not wanting to look back again.

  Everyone is now making their way out the front door in deep discussion.

  "So… what do you think? I love it! It's newly renovated, a great school close by and the golf course is a huge bonus." Mitch motions driving a ball.

  "Like I said, it can be rather a pain with another company versus the actual home owner, the last house we viewed was okay too!" says William, steering us away from this house again. "We should go," William motions me to join him outside.

  "Has anything happened in this house in the past?"

  "Ohh, here we go!" Mitch laughs. "Excuse my wife, William, she asks this every single time we find a house. She's asking you if anyone has died in this house. Any ghosts in the attic?" With a nod and with a little embarrassment, I pipe up, "Yes, I find it odd this house hasn't sold and is now being rented well below cost, yet still has no movement." Not to mention what I felt upstairs, but I'll keep that to myself.

  William looks rather uncomfortable and maybe a little shocked at the straightforward question. "No, absolutely not! No one has died in this house.

  Does he really have to tell us the truth? He didn't even look into the question, and I doubt it says no one has died in this house on his paper in front of him. We are just renters, not homeowners.

  William locks the door behind me as I step outside. Standing there, I pay a quick stare at the front of the house. "Well, I'm sold!" Mitch says. "We lucked out with this house and I say we jump on it now."

  "I don't know, Mitch, there's something about it, and we don't need to jump on it, it's been listed forever."

  "Well, should we sign some papers for the last house?" William suggests.

  "Nope, this is the one, let's do this… right honey?" Mitch continues.

  I say nothing while we buckle the kids in the back seat of the rental car.

  "I love this house, Mom," says Connor. "It's beautiful, can we live here, please?"

  We get in the car and back out of the driveway. I look up at the dark windows on the second floor, contemplating what I felt upstairs. Am I just being silly? It was a little creepy.

  Then, for a split second, it seems as if a dark figure from the corner of the window was looking right down at me. He was standing in the bedroom I was just in. I don't think I was alone in that room.

  Chapter 2

  The moving truck rolls up to 1220 Greenway Close, brakes screeching to a halt. If there's anything to announce to this street, it's that this house has finally been rented, and our moving truck is almost blocking the entire road as we start unloading. Thank goodness there's another exit for people to drive out of. We open the front door to let the movers start bringing in our belongings. The children are over the moon with excitement, but not me. After what I experienced and thought I saw while we pulled away a month ago, uneasiness was still a constant feeling for me. That haunting image of a figure at the window is burned in my memory.

  The kids are running straight for the back to hit the pool, so I follow, carrying Mats, my two-pound Chihuahua. I don't want to be in the way of the chaos of boxes or think about anything supernatural when I have to sleep here starting tonight.

  "Boys are excited, huh?" says Mitch. "We should just get the beds ready and have some easy dinner tonight." Mitch says while bending over, petting Mats.

  "Yep, sounds good," I reply.

  A couple of hours later, our new house starts to calm down when the movers finally wrap things up, and the boys wind down on the couch, coloring. I head over to the open front door to wave thanks to the movers for all their help. Getting ready to close the door, a group of women is standing in front of our house on the sidewalk, talking amongst themselves and looking right at me. Not sure what's going on or what to think as I stand there. As I waved, the only thing my voice can get out with a slightly confused look was a "Hi!" The lady leading the group steps forward, and the others straggle behind. "Hi, my name is Carol, and I live next door." She points to the house I had previously admired from the bedroom upstairs. "We just wanted to see for ourselves that someone has moved into this house".

  Is this a welcoming committee?

  "Yes, my family and I are excited to move into this house and community."

  "You have two boys? In this house? Oh, sorry… What I mean is… I have two children as well who would love to meet your little ones."

  In this house? What is this lady talking about? She sounded almost appalled.

  "Well, anyways… We will let you get settled. We all live in this neighborhood and are very happy to see this house finally rented after so long. We also brought you dinner assuming you would need a break after such a long day. Welcome to the neighborhood," Carol says, handing over a bag with a rotisserie chicken and salads.

  "Oh my, you didn't have to do this," I say, shocked and grateful. "I thought this only happened in movies, Texas hospitality at its best." I smile.

  "You're very welcome, we will see you around." Just like that, the group of ladies dispersed and walked away. I was left standing at the door thinking to myself, what just happened?

  Closing the door behind me, Mitch grabs the paper plates from the bag.

  "Wow, they thought of everything, even cutlery! What a great neighborhood!"

  "Yeah," I reply. "That was so nice of them."

  After a very long day, we are all exhausted. The beds in each room are already made. Moving the family so much in the past few years is enough to know the first day is exhausting, and the top priority is rest. The boys' rooms are side by side, one of them being the small room looking over Carol's backyard. I first tuck Logan in. "Goodnight, my love, sleep tight."

  As I'm sitting beside him, tucking the blankets in, uneasiness about the new room is clearly what he is feeling. New sounds and boxes can definitely make it less cozy, so I make sure to illuminate his room with the nightlight that gives the underwater projection on the walls and ceiling. Logan loves it and always has since he was a baby. He watches the ceiling projection for a second and then closes his eyes. I get up quietly and glance at my precious baby one more time. Closing the door half
way, then I head to Connor's room; no chance to say goodnight as he's in a deep slumber already. I turn off the light, close the door halfway as well, and start heading for the stairs. The stairs bring a flashback of the feeling of someone behind me when I first viewed this house. Walking down, I'm quite relieved I feel nothing. With a deep sigh of relief, I head to our master room on the first floor.

  I get changed and crawl into bed with my entire body exhausted and sore. "This is going to be a great move, I can feel it," Mitch says while crawling into bed and wrapping his arms around me. A new chapter.

  At 3:39 am, I'm sitting up, listening, and looking around, remembering where I am. In the new house. What is that sound? Maybe it's nothing; maybe it's just me. Not long after the pause, movement above me agitates me. What the heck is that? It sounds like it's coming from upstairs. Is it the boys? The movement has now moved in the living room not far from our bedroom door. Now I hear the shuffling right outside our door in the hallway. Then silence. Complete silence. All I can hear is my breathing and Mitch's slight snoring. I sit frozen, straining to listen, realizing I'm struggling to exhale. Is it my boys? Thoughts pass through my mind again. A creaking sound of our doorknob turning makes me gasp, as the sudden full force of our door props open and bounces off the wall, and to almost slam shut again. My heart jumps out of my chest. Mitch shoots right up from deep sleep to the upright position. "What's that? What's going on?" We both look at the door to see a small little human holding his teddy. It's sweet, Logan.

  "Mommm… I can't sleep, there's someone in my room, a zombie!" I get up and scoop him in our bed right between us.

  "Son, I can guarantee you there's no zombie in your room; it's just a new house, new sounds… you can sleep here tonight," assures Mitch.

  Logan closes his eyes, and Mitch wraps his arms around our son. It almost seems like they are already drifting off to sleep. The conversation has stopped. With my heart still racing, I try to calm down, thinking if there was something in his room. Could it have something to do with the thing I thought I saw? No, what am I thinking? This is just a new house, and it's going to take some getting used to for sure. My head is now on the soft pillow, and I look over to see Logan already in a deep sleep. Closing my own eyes, the silence of the house drifts me off to sleep not far behind them.