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Slamming Doors
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Jack mustered up a smirk in Tay's direction. Her soft hand was warm from holding her coffee mug. Tay's hand lingered on his for a moment longer and she found herself getting lost in the depths of his emerald eyes. " Thanks" Jack finally responded. " I feel guilty that I hadn't visited or even called to check on her. The only flimsy excuse that I have for it is being 'busy'. What kind of lousy brother goes that long without checking on his sister?" His brows furrowed as he chided himself. Tay was all too familiar with playing the blame game. "None of this is your fault, Jack. Cate loved you, and spoke often of you. She wasn't upset with you at all. Beating yourself up won't fix anything."
Jack cleared his throat. "So what happened the day she went missing?" Before Tay could respond, a door slammed upstairs. Footsteps stomped down the hallway and stopped just at the top of the stairs. "Who's that?" Jack inquired, quirking a brow. "That's...uh...Mr. Bellum.." Tay stammered the response out nervously. "Who?" Jack's questioning stare bore into her. "M-m.. Mr. Bellum" Tay looked down at the table as she whispered the name once more. She took a deep breath and continued in a hushed tone "He's a... former tenant." The stomping retraced it's steps back down the hall, and the door slammed once more.
"Former tenant? What's he doing upstairs, then? Has he been up there this whole time?" He fired his frantic questions rapidly. Tay slowly glanced back up at him through her thick lashes. "Yes, and no. He's a... he's a spirit". Jack absolutely could not comprehend the information he'd just been given. "You expect me to believe a ghost made those noises? Is this some sort of sick prank?" He had begun to raise his voice, and Tay shrunk in her seat. "I don't expect you to do anything. You asked a question and I answered it. What you do or don't believe is not my problem. Go see for yourself."
Jack placed his mug down and pushed back from the table. Tay just looked down as she drew her mug back to her lips. Jack stomped off toward the stairs, and continued his noisy steps up to the second floor. He began opening doors until he got to the one at the very end of the hall. It wouldn't budge. He tried the knob several times, and attempted to strong arm the door. The door simply would not open. The hair on the back of his neck and arms started to stand on end, and he felt something staring through him from behind. Jack slowly turned his head to glance over his shoulder. He didn't see anyone. As he turned around completely, the door began to creak open behind him. Jack couldn't run back down the hall and stairs fast enough. He heard heavy footsteps following behind him.
Jack leapt down from the stair case, skipping the last four steps. He paused to catch his breath, hands on his knees. The door slammed shut once more. Tay leaned against the kitchen door frame, arms folded across her chest. "What do you believe now?" She sneered at him. Jack stood up straight and just stared at her for a moment. "What the hellwas that?" Tay shook her head. "I already told you." Jack began to close the distance between them and as Tay turned to walk away, he placed an arm on either side of her against the door frame. "How do you know it's name? What the hell is going on here, Tay?"
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Tay nervously chewed her lower lip as she to carefully formulate an answer. "Well?!" Jack said as his patience steadily thinned. Tay began popping her knuckles and finally mustered up a response. " Well, uh,, we...well, the girls and I all kept hearing noises. At first it was just something small here and there. Mostly just at night. We didn't really think much of it at first. I mean, this isan old house." "And then?" Jack lead, cutting her off. Tay held up her hand and continued. "Then, doors started opening. The one at the end of the hallway, mostly. We knew it wasn't one of us, because it's been locked since we moved in. The landlord didn't even have a key for it. It had been wallpapered over, and when we were cleaning and fixing up the place we found it." Jack quirked a brow. "Why were you removing wallpaper? I thought you guys were renting?" "The landlord told us if we cleaned and fixed the place up, he'd take money off the rent. Toni, one of
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Tay found herself on the sofa when she came to. Jack was seated in the big blue chair to her left, his elbows were on his knees and he was running his fingers through his hair. He looked over as she began to stir. " Are you okay? Want some water?" Tay's head began to swim all over again as she attempted to nod. Jack quickly made his way to the kitchen and rifled through the cupboards. After a couple of tries he found a glass and filled it halfway with water. He brought it over and set it on the coffee table, and gingerly helped her prop up. She greatfully took the glass in both of her shaky hands, as he passed it to her. Sipping slowly, she watched him closely. The former irritation and impatience had long gone from his face, replaced by obvious concern."Are you feeling any better?" Jack asked softly. Tay gave another, much slower, nod. "Sorry 'bout that. I-I don't know what came over me." Tay stammered out her apology, barely above a whisper. Jack shook his head
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It was Jack's turn to listen with intent. Tay paused to take a sip of her cold soda and continued. " We had peace until about three weeks ago. Someone new contacted us through the board. They called themselves 'M'. M didn't divulge much about themselves, but knew things about each of us. Personal things- things that none of the rest of us could've known about each other." Tay swallowed loudly. "M saidthat Toni...had forged her transcripts... that Leila had been the driver in an unsolved deadly hit and run back in high school... and that I, uh.." She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, and bit her lower lip as tears began to well up in her eyes. " I u-used to steal pain pills from my Nana when I was younger." Jack was flabbergasted. He softly asked "So...what did M say about Catherine?" Tay looked down at her lap, and as she did, warm tears began streaming down her cheeks. Jack left his seat and moved over to sit next to Tay on the sofa. He cautiously moved to wrap his
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Tay cautiously made her way up the stairs. She saw Jack standing in stunned silence in the doorway to Cate's room. His face looked as if the blood had drained completely from it, and his knuckles were white from gripping the doorframe. "Are you ok? You saw him, didn't you?" She was equal parts terrified and excited as she pelted him with questions. Jack remained silent, though he nodded in response. Jack was certain there must be a logical explanation, though reasoning had briefly evaded him. Tay slowly moved toward him, and gently placed a hand on his tense arm.He envoluntarily jolted as she touched him. " I saw something. It wasn't anything more than a shadow. I think I was seeing something because I expected to, honestly." Tay quirked a brow at him. " Was it a tall man with a hat?" Jack's jaw clenched. " Let's go back downstairs. You look like you need a drink." Tay gently pulled his arm, and coaxed him back down the hall. They made their way
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Jack awoke to the sound of the phone ringing. He cleared his throat, and answered “Hello?” There was static on the line and after a long pause, there was a response. He could faintly hear someone through the static, but the voice seemed far away. He repeated a hello, and the voice responded. “Hello? Jack? Can you hear me?” It sounded like Catherine’s voice but she sounded far away still, like maybe she had the phone upside down or was distracted. Maybe it had been a pocket dial? Catherine continued through the breaking and static “Jack. Can’t….talk...long...I’ve been...Jack? Be careful...love you” Before he could respond, the call ended. He sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He looked at his phone and noticed it was 3:33 in the morning. He called Catherine back, but it went straight to voicemail. Catherine was
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Jack hit the road as the sun began to fill the morning sky. It was a beautiful early autumn morning. He stopped to fill up at his usual gas station and grabbed a hot coffee, bottled water, and some snacks for the road. As he made his way to the counter, he passed by a stack of newspapers. He glanced down at the top paper, but was snapped out his own little world by the man behind the counter clearing his throat. This wasn't the usual guy he spoke with in the morning. In fact, Jack had never seen this guy here at all. He paid for his gas and food, smiled and gave a quick nod at the new cashier, and went back to his car.Now back on the road, he lit a cigarette and cracked his window. The music on the radio was interrupted by the morning talk show hosts and their voices droned on in the back ground. His phone began to ring about twenty minutes into his journey. He answered through the car's blue tooth system. "Hey Aunt Amy, how are you this morning?" There was a moment of
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Three hours later, Jack pulled into the neighborhood where his sister resided. Traffic had been more hectic than he'd anticipated. The area was rougher than he'd have liked. Older homes left in various states of disrepair lined the street, surrounded by rusted chain link fences. Graffiti tags littered the various buildings, cars sat on bricks along the edges of the streets, and a strange silence hung in the air. Finally, he reached the two-story faded pink home of his sister. He pulled into the empty drive and turned off the car. After taking a moment to stay himself he lifetime the solitude of his car and made his way to the front door. A petite young woman answered the door. She pushed her glasses up onto her nose, halfway positioned behind the door. "Y-yes?" She stammered nervously. He attempted a smile to ease her nerves and introduced himself. "I'm Jack, Catherine's brother." Her face fell as she opened the door enough for him to slip inside. "I'm Tay
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Jack placed the magazine back in the pile, as Tay called out that the coffee was done. He got up and ran his fingers through his hair. As he left the room, he thought he felt something move by him down to the other end of the dimly lit hall. He glanced in that direction, but saw nothing. A shiver ran down his spine, but he tried to shake the eerie feeling as he made his way down the stairs.Tay was humming in the small kitchen as she prepared her mug of coffee. She glanced over her shoulder as Jack walked in. "How do you like your coffee?" Jack made his way over to the counter beside her. " I just drink it black, thanks". Tay scrunched her nose up at him. " Only psychopaths drink black coffee" she said with a soft smirk. "I guess I'm a psychopath, then" he retorted.She slid him his cup of coffee and they sat down at the round kitchen table. Tay cradled her mug in both hands, and looked him up and down. He was tall and athletically built. Tattoos covered
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Tay cautiously made her way up the stairs. She saw Jack standing in stunned silence in the doorway to Cate's room. His face looked as if the blood had drained completely from it, and his knuckles were white from gripping the doorframe. "Are you ok? You saw him, didn't you?" She was equal parts terrified and excited as she pelted him with questions. Jack remained silent, though he nodded in response. Jack was certain there must be a logical explanation, though reasoning had briefly evaded him. Tay slowly moved toward him, and gently placed a hand on his tense arm.He envoluntarily jolted as she touched him. " I saw something. It wasn't anything more than a shadow. I think I was seeing something because I expected to, honestly." Tay quirked a brow at him. " Was it a tall man with a hat?" Jack's jaw clenched. " Let's go back downstairs. You look like you need a drink." Tay gently pulled his arm, and coaxed him back down the hall. They made their way
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It was Jack's turn to listen with intent. Tay paused to take a sip of her cold soda and continued. " We had peace until about three weeks ago. Someone new contacted us through the board. They called themselves 'M'. M didn't divulge much about themselves, but knew things about each of us. Personal things- things that none of the rest of us could've known about each other." Tay swallowed loudly. "M saidthat Toni...had forged her transcripts... that Leila had been the driver in an unsolved deadly hit and run back in high school... and that I, uh.." She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, and bit her lower lip as tears began to well up in her eyes. " I u-used to steal pain pills from my Nana when I was younger." Jack was flabbergasted. He softly asked "So...what did M say about Catherine?" Tay looked down at her lap, and as she did, warm tears began streaming down her cheeks. Jack left his seat and moved over to sit next to Tay on the sofa. He cautiously moved to wrap his
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Tay found herself on the sofa when she came to. Jack was seated in the big blue chair to her left, his elbows were on his knees and he was running his fingers through his hair. He looked over as she began to stir. " Are you okay? Want some water?" Tay's head began to swim all over again as she attempted to nod. Jack quickly made his way to the kitchen and rifled through the cupboards. After a couple of tries he found a glass and filled it halfway with water. He brought it over and set it on the coffee table, and gingerly helped her prop up. She greatfully took the glass in both of her shaky hands, as he passed it to her. Sipping slowly, she watched him closely. The former irritation and impatience had long gone from his face, replaced by obvious concern."Are you feeling any better?" Jack asked softly. Tay gave another, much slower, nod. "Sorry 'bout that. I-I don't know what came over me." Tay stammered out her apology, barely above a whisper. Jack shook his head
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Tay nervously chewed her lower lip as she to carefully formulate an answer. "Well?!" Jack said as his patience steadily thinned. Tay began popping her knuckles and finally mustered up a response. " Well, uh,, we...well, the girls and I all kept hearing noises. At first it was just something small here and there. Mostly just at night. We didn't really think much of it at first. I mean, this isan old house." "And then?" Jack lead, cutting her off. Tay held up her hand and continued. "Then, doors started opening. The one at the end of the hallway, mostly. We knew it wasn't one of us, because it's been locked since we moved in. The landlord didn't even have a key for it. It had been wallpapered over, and when we were cleaning and fixing up the place we found it." Jack quirked a brow. "Why were you removing wallpaper? I thought you guys were renting?" "The landlord told us if we cleaned and fixed the place up, he'd take money off the rent. Toni, one of
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Jack mustered up a smirk in Tay's direction. Her soft hand was warm from holding her coffee mug. Tay's hand lingered on his for a moment longer and she found herself getting lost in the depths of his emerald eyes. " Thanks" Jack finally responded. " I feel guilty that I hadn't visited or even called to check on her. The only flimsy excuse that I have for it is being 'busy'. What kind of lousy brother goes that long without checking on his sister?" His brows furrowed as he chided himself. Tay was all too familiar with playing the blame game. "None of this is your fault, Jack. Cate loved you, and spoke often of you. She wasn't upset with you at all. Beating yourself up won't fix anything."Jack cleared his throat. "So what happened the day she went missing?" Before Tay could respond, a door slammed upstairs. Footsteps stomped down the hallway and stopped just at the top of the stairs. "Who's that?" Jack inquired, quirking a brow. "That's...uh...Mr. Bellum.." Tay stammere
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Jack placed the magazine back in the pile, as Tay called out that the coffee was done. He got up and ran his fingers through his hair. As he left the room, he thought he felt something move by him down to the other end of the dimly lit hall. He glanced in that direction, but saw nothing. A shiver ran down his spine, but he tried to shake the eerie feeling as he made his way down the stairs.Tay was humming in the small kitchen as she prepared her mug of coffee. She glanced over her shoulder as Jack walked in. "How do you like your coffee?" Jack made his way over to the counter beside her. " I just drink it black, thanks". Tay scrunched her nose up at him. " Only psychopaths drink black coffee" she said with a soft smirk. "I guess I'm a psychopath, then" he retorted.She slid him his cup of coffee and they sat down at the round kitchen table. Tay cradled her mug in both hands, and looked him up and down. He was tall and athletically built. Tattoos covered
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Three hours later, Jack pulled into the neighborhood where his sister resided. Traffic had been more hectic than he'd anticipated. The area was rougher than he'd have liked. Older homes left in various states of disrepair lined the street, surrounded by rusted chain link fences. Graffiti tags littered the various buildings, cars sat on bricks along the edges of the streets, and a strange silence hung in the air. Finally, he reached the two-story faded pink home of his sister. He pulled into the empty drive and turned off the car. After taking a moment to stay himself he lifetime the solitude of his car and made his way to the front door. A petite young woman answered the door. She pushed her glasses up onto her nose, halfway positioned behind the door. "Y-yes?" She stammered nervously. He attempted a smile to ease her nerves and introduced himself. "I'm Jack, Catherine's brother." Her face fell as she opened the door enough for him to slip inside. "I'm Tay
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Jack hit the road as the sun began to fill the morning sky. It was a beautiful early autumn morning. He stopped to fill up at his usual gas station and grabbed a hot coffee, bottled water, and some snacks for the road. As he made his way to the counter, he passed by a stack of newspapers. He glanced down at the top paper, but was snapped out his own little world by the man behind the counter clearing his throat. This wasn't the usual guy he spoke with in the morning. In fact, Jack had never seen this guy here at all. He paid for his gas and food, smiled and gave a quick nod at the new cashier, and went back to his car.Now back on the road, he lit a cigarette and cracked his window. The music on the radio was interrupted by the morning talk show hosts and their voices droned on in the back ground. His phone began to ring about twenty minutes into his journey. He answered through the car's blue tooth system. "Hey Aunt Amy, how are you this morning?" There was a moment of
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Jack awoke to the sound of the phone ringing. He cleared his throat, and answered “Hello?” There was static on the line and after a long pause, there was a response. He could faintly hear someone through the static, but the voice seemed far away. He repeated a hello, and the voice responded. “Hello? Jack? Can you hear me?” It sounded like Catherine’s voice but she sounded far away still, like maybe she had the phone upside down or was distracted. Maybe it had been a pocket dial? Catherine continued through the breaking and static “Jack. Can’t….talk...long...I’ve been...Jack? Be careful...love you” Before he could respond, the call ended. He sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He looked at his phone and noticed it was 3:33 in the morning. He called Catherine back, but it went straight to voicemail. Catherine was
