Page 153 of Like A Moth To A Flame

Like now, laying on the couch staring down at my stomach and the way it had begun to curve just enough that outsiders couldn’t tell if it was baby weight or too many cookies at Christmas a couple of weeks back.

Tommy was gone, and I missed him, but I was also enjoying the silence a little more than I cared to admit. He was nothing if not sweet, caring, and doting—but the doting itself had become a little much. Every sneeze, gasp, or slight groan had him running to my side to check on me, and while I loved the caring, I also missed being able to relax.

We’d begun turning my dad’s old office into the nursery, ripping up the tattered, cigarette-burned old carpet to reveal hardwood floors that needed sanded and re-stained. They looked rough now, but I knew after a little work, it could be everything I wanted.

I was planning a jungle theme, with tigers and lemurs and brightly colored macaws adorning the walls. I had already paid a local high school student who had a very promising art portfolio and plans to attend the best art school in the state to work on the murals. Right now they were just shades of beige and brown, but after they finished—

A knock on the door made all thoughts come to a halt, and fear immediately took over my mind.

No one came by without calling. Not Carl, not Amelia, and not anyone I’d hired to work on the house. Besides, it was late, probably close to midnight. Struggling to sit up, I reached over, snatched my phone off the coffee table, and flicked it on.

I was right; it was nearly one in the morning.

My heart started a pattering rhythm in my chest, my breath coming in short bursts as I stood from the couch and slowly tiptoed my way to the door. At Tommy’s request, we covered all the windows with thick curtains and reinforced the front door with long nails and new deadbolts, but still, I was on edge.

Just as I got to the foyer, the knock came again, and I jumped so hard my feet nearly came out from under me, my hand flying up to my lips to hold back the gasp that I bit back.

I stood stark still, unsure of what to do or how to act. Times like this, I wished Tommy was here, or even Amelia or Carl.

What should I do?

With shaking hands, I lifted my phone and jammed in the passcode, hurrying to my contacts and lifting the phone to my ear a second later. It wasn’t until I heard Amelia’s hearty ‘Hello!’ on the other end that I turned, hurrying down the hallway and crouching down in front of the laundry room door.

If I spoke in the foyer, they could hear me. They would know I was here.

“Amelia!” I whispered into the phone, my fingers trembling with fear. “Someone’s at the door.”

“What?!” her voice immediately sounded on edge, and I heard the telltale rustling on the other end telling me she was on the move. “Where’s Tommy?”

“He’s on shift!” I whispered heatedly. “I’m here alone.”

“Shit!” Amelia spat. “Door locked?”

“Yes,” I said, twisting to look at the door and confirm. “Where’s Carl?”

“He’s on fuckin’shift,” she grumbled. “I’m gonna have to let Dale know about the need to avoid scheduling them together for a while. This shit only happens when they’re both at work, and it is stressing meout.”

I wanted to laugh. She was right, but my fear had a firm hold on me.

“Can you look out the kitchen window and see who it is? I’m gonna call Sheriff Banner. Don’t do anything dumb. I’ll be back.”

Sheriff Banner had become close to all of us since the wedding and subsequent positive tests. Tommy had asked him to “swing by a few times a night” if he was able, which had resulted in him coming in for dinner more than a few times and doing a complete sweep of the house and property before bed.

Sighing, I returned to the door as Amelia clicked over to the other line to make the call. My throat was dry, and my heart was hammering against my sternum, but Amelia was right. I had to check. I could be panicking over the wind, and we didn’t need another repeat of that particular night, Amelia and I both hiding in the hall closet as the boys checked the house only to discover that it was the wind slamming the shudder against the siding outside.

Clutching the phone to my ear, I slowly made my way down the hall, careful not to make a single noise as I rounded the corner and stepped into the kitchen. The shadows danced and shifted along the walls as I stepped behind the dining table and reached a shaking hand toward the new, darker curtains I’d hung. Gently plucking them back, I chanced a glance at the front porch, only to be metwith—nothing.

I shifted and twisted to the best of my ability, crouching down and pushing up on my toes, only to verify what I already knew.

There was nobody there.

Amelia clicked back onto the line as I let out a long, low sigh, the tension draining away from my shoulders.

“Ness?” she said, her voice shaking. “I called him. He’s on his way. Did you look?”

“Yeah,” I let out a small huff of a laugh. “I looked. All clear. I don’t see shit.”

“That’s even creepier,” she said. “Maybe I should start coming over on the days the boys are on shift.”

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