“We assure you that the police department is pursuing some leads and will soon identify the killer. For now, we request our viewers to prioritize their safety. Keep your doors locked...”
Mel turned off the TV, scrolling unblinkingly through her phone. She wrapped the blanket tighter around herself, turning to lay on her side on the plush couch. Oh to be warm on a cold winter night! Mel kicked her feet a little as she felt a tiny shiver race up her body, positioning her neck comfortably on her forearm.
Her boyfriend was away visiting family for the weekend, and while Mel loved and was used to having him around, the solitude felt nice. It had been a while since she had the house to herself and she was excited even though her plans were nothing short of mundane. Laze away on the couch, eat disgusting amounts of junk, do a long selfcare routine all complete with an LED face mask. Good enough, she smiled, tossing her phone to the table and swinging one leg out and onto the floor from underneath the blanket; recreating positions that somehow looked fit enough only for a rooster. Her eyes closed as she locked in for the 13th cozy nap that day, cut short almost immediately by the phone ringing. It was Jake.
“Hi babe,” she mused.
“HEY! CAN YOU EVEN HEAR ME?” Jake yelled over the speaker, background cluttered with all kinds of otherworldly noises. “MY SISTERS ARE HAVING A FIGHT. HOW ARE YOU BABE, WHAT DID YOU DO ALL DAY?”
“Okay I heard like 60% of that,” Mel chuckled, pressing the phone tighter against her ear. “Why are your sisters flying a kite? At this hour?”
“NOT FLYING A KITE! HAVING A FIGHT! A FIGHT! LOOK I JUST WANTED TO CHECK UP ON YOU, WITH THE NEWS AND ALL...”
“Oh I’m fine.” Mel clicked her tongue. “This has been going on for weeks now, it doesn’t even sound serious anymore. The latest update was that they gave him a dope ass name - the Cesfield Butcher.”
“They’re seriously out there just... naming him?” Jake laughed, “I know this isn’t funny but I imagined that at some point, the policemen all sat together to come up with a name for the fella, amongst all the bodies.”
“JAKE!” Mel mused playfully, “No but really, I feel like these cool names enable them even more! Why can’t we have something like... booger beard butcher?”
“No way, imagine being killed by the Booger Beard Butcher... Mel? Hello?”
Both the network and the power went out unexpectedly and Mel was momentarily left bathed in nothing but blackness as her pupils adjusted to the dark. Mel was generally fearless, but her self sabotaging mind decided to replay the news and suddenly, it felt a lot scarier. A lot more... real. Her hands scrambled to turn on the flashlight on her phone and Mel could have sworn that for a split second, she saw the shadow of a man lingering in the corner. Her skin almost jumped out as she pointed her phone towards him, only to be met with emptiness. Every single muscle in her body was suddenly on high alert (and during the worst few seconds of her life, her bladder decided to feel more active than ever!) and Mel breathed heavily, analyzing the dark for the tiniest hint of movement. She was no longer certain if things were happening for real or if fear was playing a cruel joke on her, but the power came back on as quickly as it had gone and Mel breathed a sigh of relief as the living room was once again bathed in warm light. Confidently, she did a full spin and sure enough - there was no one.
Her notification ring went off repeatedly as dozens of text popped up. Unsurprisingly, it was Jake, heavily confused and slightly panicked as to why she dropped off the call out of nowhere.
“Hey, I’m okay! The power went out for a minute. :-)” She texted him back.
“Oh. Haha. You gave me a scare! Do you want to get back on call?”
Jake was the kind of man to go out of his way to do things for Mel, and one thing Mel had figured out was that if he asked, he was too exhausted to do it. She understood it perfectly, though. The drama between Jake’s sisters’ was cathartic and that would be putting it mildly.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. We can talk tomorrow, it’s too late already and I’m yet to figure out what to eat. Have a great time, love you.” Mel typed back.
“Keep texting me through. I know I was kidding earlier, but I’m kinda afraid for your safety. Take care, I love and miss you.”
Mel hearted the message, put the phone down and stretched. Deciding to throw on some instant mac and cheese, she stepped into her fuzzy slippers when the doorbell rang. It was normal, but given the circumstances, Mel was unpleasantly startled. She wasn’t expecting anyone and it was past 9 in the evening, who could possibly have business to do with her around now? But surely, a serial killer wouldn’t ring the bell and ask to come in, right? “Hi, may I stab you to death?” Nah, too uncultured. She grabbed her phone and tread towards the door, cautiously peeping through the keyhole. What she saw made her fling the door open instantly.
A sweet little girl, looking to be no more than 8 or 9 years in age, stood shivering at her doorstep. Her brown hair were a mess, pulled into braided ponytails that looked too tight for her little head. Beautiful but scared green eyes stared up at Mel as the little girl shook ever so slightly (from cold, fear and cold fear). “H-hello,” she whispered in a voice so small Mel might have almost missed it.
“Oh my god, sweet baby! What are you doing out there?” Mel’s voice was laced with motherly concern as she knelt down to match the girl’s height, putting her hands reassuringly on her little shoulders.
“I- I missed the bus back home. And a scary man was following me.” She shuddered.
Mel felt her heart drop. “Come in, you’re safe here.” She gently lifted the girl and put her down in the doorway, quickly taking a look all around outside before slamming the door shut and locking it. For some reason, she found herself breathing heavily, her instincts at severe unease. What if the scary man was... She shook her head to clear out her thoughts before turning to face the scared girl.
“Look at you, sweetie! Your clothes are wet. Where are your parents? Why aren’t they picking you up? It isn’t safe out here right now!” Mel bombarded her with questions.
“No,” the girl responded, looking down at her heels, as if ashamed.
“No, its not safe out there?” Mel probed gently.
“No parents.” The girl said softly.
Good job making the girl feel like home, Mel! “Oh, I- I’m so sorry.” Mel said, “Okay, how about you come inside and change and we can continue this?”
The girl nodded simply, not looking up. Mel smiled, taking her little hand in hers and guiding her to the living room. “What’s your name, sweetie?”
“I’m Ashlia.”
What a weird rendition of Ashley, Mel thought. “That’s a cool name! I’m Melissa, but friends call me Mel. What do your friends call you, Ash or Lia?”
“I prefer Ashlia. And I don’t make friends, Melissa.” Ashlia answered blankly.
“And that’s perfectly alright!” Mel quipped back, trying to be reassuring - not that it looked like this child needed it. “You wait here, I’m gonna go fetch you a change of clothes and then we can talk, okay?”
Leaving Ashlia in the living room, Mel first hurried to the doorway. She did a long double take through the keyhole, ensuring no one was in sight. Calm down, she told herself, he’s not going to come for you.
“ALERT! SUSPECTED HOMICIDE LURKING IN ALL...”
Exasperated, Mel cleared off the notification. Because of course, sending alerts is what is going to deter the killer from chopping up his next target. She walked to her bedroom, flung the wardrobe open and picked out a shirt, some woolen stockings and leg warmers. She came back to the living room only to find Ashlia holding her stomach and staring intently at the kitchen. Poor girl, who knows when she had last eaten.
“Here, go ahead and change,” Mel placed the neatly folded clothes next to Ashlia, “The bathroom is left from the hallway.”
Ashlia nodded meekly, grabbing the bundle in her rough red hands and hopping off the couch. Mel gently patted her on the back as she went, before walking into the kitchen and heating up some canned soup. She didn’t know if it was because she was a people pleaser in general, but the moment she saw Ashlia standing out there all cold and scared, she just felt the need to take care of her. Jake and her had been through a couple rounds of unsuccessful IVFs, a pain she had been suppressing and powering through with a smile. Seeing a child on her doorstep brought it all back and she sneered at the irony - a mother at heart without a kid, and a poor kid without a mother. She took a deep breath, reminding herself not to go overboard and weird out the child.
Just as she transferred the steaming soup into a bowl and carried the tray to the living room, Ashlia appeared all dressed up in a shirt that went past her knees with fuzzy stockings and leg warmers. She looked slightly more relaxed, but her freckled little nose was still all scrunched up in discomfort.
“There you are,” Mel called out to her, “I made you some soup.”
Ashlia walked over to Mel who was now perched on the couch and climbed back on. Mel threw the blanket around her shoulders.
“Are you warm enough? Do you need a cardigan?” She asked softly.
Ashlia shook her head, wearing the same blank expression as before. “Okay, so hey, do you want to tell me what happened?”
“Nothing happened,” Ashlia responded plainly, “I missed my bus.”
“What bus? Where were you traveling to and why are you alone?” Mel questioned back.
“The kids’ shelter. In Yellow Spring. We came for a picnic and they left without me.” She explained, leaning forward and stuffing her mouth with a large spoonful of soup. For a split second, her eyes lit up, “This is good. I’ve never had soup like this before.”
“It’s homemade, my mom cans it for us,” Mel smiled. Kids’ shelter? They make shelters for kids now? She went on her phone and googled kids’ shelters in Yellow Spring, immediately realizing that the girl meant orphanage. Mel was infuriated. How could they possibly be irresponsible (and stupid) enough to take the kids on a picnic more than two cities away and then forget one of them behind? Did they not even do a head count?
“Give me a minute, I’ll be back,” Mel told Ashlia, who was too busy gulping down the warm soup as if she hadn’t eaten properly in days. Mel went to the bedroom and called the orphanage through the number listed on the website. For a good few minutes she kept trying, only to get the out of service message. Finally, she reached voicemail on one of the phone numbers, and decided to leave a message.
“Hi, this is Melissa from Cesfield, I think you all accidentally left behind a child named Ashlia during your picnic earlier. I don’t think I need to explain how fucking outrageous this is, especially given the situation here in Cesfield. Please do better, I’ll leave my address under this message please have the child picked up safely.”
She didn’t care if her message came off as impolite or cluttered. There was a little girl out there, wandering scared for the better part of the evening because the people supposed to be watching out for her were idiots. And the scary man... Mel felt as if she was being watched and jerked her head to look over her shoulder. As expected, there was no one. Just her and some tensed air. Get a grip.
“I see, someone really likes soup!” Mel commented amusedly as she walked back into the living room. For the first time that evening, a hint of a smile lingered on Ashlia’s face, though it was gone almost as soon as it had appeared. She returned to staring blankly into nothingness, as if deeply bothered and in thought. “Is something wrong?” Mel asked, noticing the shift in the atmosphere, “What about that... man who was following you?”
Ashlia looked at Mel, “He was scary.”
“And?” Mel probed.
Ashlia just shrugged, burying her face into the blanket. “Hey,” Mel called out, sitting down beside her, “Ashlia, you’re safe, okay? I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you’re safe. I promise, please don’t be scared sweetie.”
Very gently, Mel pulled Ashlia into a pseudo hug. Not invasive. just reassuring. Letting her know she was there.
“You’ll keep me safe.” Ashlia whispered, but not quizzically. It was as of she was talking to herself.
“Of course honey.” Mel said.
That evening, Mel made sure to go out of her way to give Ashlia everything she could need. Plans of Mac and Cheese went out the window, and though it took her ages, Mel prepared the most enticing herring fillets ever. Ashlia didn’t say much, mostly just eyeing the house and giving curt answers whenever talked to. Mel didn’t push her. She recognized the child’s need for space and left her alone. They ate in excruciating silence, except for when Ashlia would temporarily break character to compliment Mel’s cooking, before going back to being as serious as a 55 year old math teacher. Mel turned on the TV after dinner, unsuccessfully trying for 30 minutes to get Ashlia to take interest in the various cartoons she was being shown.
“Is it true?” Ashlia asked out of nowhere.
“Is what true?” Mel responded nonchalantly.
“That someone is... killing people?”
Mel groaned internally. 29 minutes of cartoons, she didn’t watch. 1 accidental minute of switching to the news channel and the kid had questions. “It... sort of is.”
“Sort of?” Ashlia shot Mel a confused look.
“It’s true, honey, but we are safe. He wouldn’t come for us.” Mel said, turning off the TV.
“He wouldn’t.” Ashlia said, once again more to herself than to Mel.
It was nearing midnight. Mel had a brief call with Jake but she omitted telling him about Ashlia; he’d just get stressed about their safety and nothing else. Right now, she was tucking in the grumpy little kid as a mother would her own child, propping her head on the softest pillow she could find. Mel pulled a duvet over Ashlia’s frail body, before covering her with a soft warm blanket. “I swear, this couch is the comfiest place in my house. I’ve had all of my best naps here, too bad I’m just kind of too fat to fit on it anymore!” Mel joked, and once again, Ashlia half smiled. “Sleep tight, kiddo and don’t be scared. I’m right here.” Mel gently stroked Ashlia’s hair, which she had detangled before bed and styled into a protective, gentle plait.
“Goodnight, Melissa!” Ashlia quipped back, a very tiny bit sweeter than usual, before shutting her eyes. Mel got up, checked all the doors and windows and drew the blinds before retiring to the bedroom, texting Jake goodnight and plummeting into the mattress. She turned off the bedside lamp and laid down, closing her eyes. Out of nowhere, she felt her back and toes tingle. For some reason, something felt... wrong. Mel pulled the blanket over her head, telling herself to stop being dramatic and go to sleep.
Mel awoke with a start. She was breathing heavily, eyes wide open even though she didn’t dare move a muscle. Someone was there. She lay paralyzed with fear, straining to analyze the sounds in the background. Super faint footsteps, noise in the kitchen... Ashlia! The thought of the child in the living room replaced her fear with worry and the urge to shield her from anything out there, and Mel jumped up. It was 4 in the morning, and Mel ran to the kitchen, ready to ambush whoever she saw but guess what? It was only Ashlia.
“I was thirsty,” she timidly explained, probably intimidated by Mel’s panic.
“Oh, my dear...” Mel heaved a sigh of relief, throwing her arms around the kid, “I was so scared someone broke in and got to you!”
Through the frenzy, Mel felt Ashlia’s tiny arms very faintly, and for just a second, wrap around her.
*******
The phone was ringing. Sleepily, Mel turned to her side, grabbing it off the nightstand. It was an unknown number, and the call went to voicemail before she could pick up. The message beeped.
“Hi, this is Daniel from the Bright Minds Orphanage, Yellow Spring. I’m calling regarding the query you raised yesterday, outside of our business hours...”
Oh, those pricks. Mel couldn’t comprehend the audacity to not only leave a child behind, but also call back at 7:30 on a fudging Sunday morning.
“...I appreciate you leaving a message, however, there seems to be a mistake. We have never scheduled any picnic in Cesfield, and no child by the name of Ashlia is, or has been, a part of our organization. All our children are accounted for and...”
There was no way the number of times Mel had been startled out of her mind in the past 12 hours could have been healthy, but this one almost gave her a heart attack. By the end of the message, she was sitting up straight, replaying the events of the night. Kicking off the blanket, she hurried to the couch but it was empty.
“ASHLIA! ASHLIA!” Mel called out, looking everywhere. When she ran to the hallway, she found that the little girl’s shoes were gone and the front door was unlocked. No, no... this has to be a joke. “Come on, Ashlia, you’re really freaking me out!”
Mel was unable to make sense of what was happening. She went inside in a frenzy, deciding to call Jake and the police when her eyes fell on the kitchen counter. On the countertop was her recipe book, splayed open on the page with the herring fillets. Her kitchen knife lay neatly on top, acting like a paperweight. Mel tossed the knife away as if it was going to bite, and underneath was a message, clearly in a child’s handwriting:
“i tried to do it but your just so nice. please please pleas mel never let a stranger inside your house ever again...”
*******
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
"Kindness never quenched my hunger, it only delayed it."
Hi, dear reader, and thankyou for picking my story to read. Before you go, here's a brownie point - check out the first letter of each word in the alert message, xD!
Remember, don't let a stranger in your house (and if you do, be nice).
With love,
Bubble<3
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