Categories > Original > Horror > Lost and Found
Jillian Chambers (as she had kept her ex’s last name so as to avoid making her children’s lives anymore complicated than they already were) stood in the entrance to the dark hallway, Dr Evans a few paces down the hall.
“I don’t get it,” muttered Dr Evans, “That door is always supposed to be locked.”
There was something about his tone that Jill didn’t find very reassuring. Claire’s session with Dr Evans had ended while she was still in the restroom. Even then, she had had a very strange, ominous feeling that had prompted her to get back to the waiting room as quickly as she could. And there was Claire, playing on the railing of the big stairway.
But no sign of Darek.
This time she didn't give him a chance to be late for his session. Acting on a dread premonition, she had grabbed Evans and set out searching the building. After turning up nothing on the other three levels, they had turned to the deserted fourth floor, which was causing her a tremendous amount of anxiety that she just couldn’t quite pin down.
For some reason, all she could think of was her sister’s stupid Twilight Zone superstition, and she cursed Veronica for even showing her son all those books about mysterious phenomena.
“Darek!” she called once again, knowing that if he would just answer, her nightmare would be over.
“I don’t know…” muttered Dr Evans as he looked around, “Maybe he wandered outside or something…” Though he didn’t sound as if he believed that himself, remembering the look of utter fixation in Darek’s eyes when he saw this place. “He could be over at the playg—”
“Hey! Look what I found!” called Claire from around the corner.
Jill was right on it, and she felt her sense of suspense crank up another notch.
Lying on the floor in one of the doorways was Darek’s toy pistol. There was something about the shattered barrel that really set her nerves on edge. Because now she knew her son had been up here. Still, she couldn’t figure out why his being up here bothered her so much. It was old and abandoned, but Evans had assured her several times that there was nothing particularly dangerous up here.
“Darek!” she shouted again, the worry building up in her like the stormy clouds that had gathered outside. “Darek Thomas Chambers! You come out right now! This isn’t funny!… If you don’t come out right now, you’re grounded until after Halloween!”
And Courthouse West only answered her threats and pleas with mocking silence.
“I found his keys!” called Claire. She had wandered into the grimy, spooky-looking room only because the grownups were around; otherwise she would never set foot in a creepy place like this. And she recognized the keys all too easily. After all, Darek had been going on and on about his stupid keys, and his stupid haunted house, all month.
Jill looked up from her son’s broken toy to see her daughter standing in front of a closet. As she walked across the room, she tried to figure out why this was stressing her out so much. At last she stood in front of the closet, telling herself over and over that Darek merely had a hole in his pocket, that was all.
“I guess he was up here… but this just doesn’t make sense,” Dr Evans commented as he looked at the broken pistol; he knew it was one of Darek’s favorite toys, and it bothered him to see it, and his “haunted mansion” keys just lying on the floor like that.
As abandoned as this entire level.
Though, for all his concern, Evans couldn’t be nearly as upset as Jill. This just wasn’t right. What could possibly be so interesting about this closet?
But all she could think of was her sister and her damned Twilight Zone, and somehow she knew, as only a mother truly can, that she would never see her Darek again.
“I don’t get it,” muttered Dr Evans, “That door is always supposed to be locked.”
There was something about his tone that Jill didn’t find very reassuring. Claire’s session with Dr Evans had ended while she was still in the restroom. Even then, she had had a very strange, ominous feeling that had prompted her to get back to the waiting room as quickly as she could. And there was Claire, playing on the railing of the big stairway.
But no sign of Darek.
This time she didn't give him a chance to be late for his session. Acting on a dread premonition, she had grabbed Evans and set out searching the building. After turning up nothing on the other three levels, they had turned to the deserted fourth floor, which was causing her a tremendous amount of anxiety that she just couldn’t quite pin down.
For some reason, all she could think of was her sister’s stupid Twilight Zone superstition, and she cursed Veronica for even showing her son all those books about mysterious phenomena.
“Darek!” she called once again, knowing that if he would just answer, her nightmare would be over.
“I don’t know…” muttered Dr Evans as he looked around, “Maybe he wandered outside or something…” Though he didn’t sound as if he believed that himself, remembering the look of utter fixation in Darek’s eyes when he saw this place. “He could be over at the playg—”
“Hey! Look what I found!” called Claire from around the corner.
Jill was right on it, and she felt her sense of suspense crank up another notch.
Lying on the floor in one of the doorways was Darek’s toy pistol. There was something about the shattered barrel that really set her nerves on edge. Because now she knew her son had been up here. Still, she couldn’t figure out why his being up here bothered her so much. It was old and abandoned, but Evans had assured her several times that there was nothing particularly dangerous up here.
“Darek!” she shouted again, the worry building up in her like the stormy clouds that had gathered outside. “Darek Thomas Chambers! You come out right now! This isn’t funny!… If you don’t come out right now, you’re grounded until after Halloween!”
And Courthouse West only answered her threats and pleas with mocking silence.
“I found his keys!” called Claire. She had wandered into the grimy, spooky-looking room only because the grownups were around; otherwise she would never set foot in a creepy place like this. And she recognized the keys all too easily. After all, Darek had been going on and on about his stupid keys, and his stupid haunted house, all month.
Jill looked up from her son’s broken toy to see her daughter standing in front of a closet. As she walked across the room, she tried to figure out why this was stressing her out so much. At last she stood in front of the closet, telling herself over and over that Darek merely had a hole in his pocket, that was all.
“I guess he was up here… but this just doesn’t make sense,” Dr Evans commented as he looked at the broken pistol; he knew it was one of Darek’s favorite toys, and it bothered him to see it, and his “haunted mansion” keys just lying on the floor like that.
As abandoned as this entire level.
Though, for all his concern, Evans couldn’t be nearly as upset as Jill. This just wasn’t right. What could possibly be so interesting about this closet?
But all she could think of was her sister and her damned Twilight Zone, and somehow she knew, as only a mother truly can, that she would never see her Darek again.
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