Jack, Beth, and Marla were all three crowded into the
kitchen getting ready to throw some food together. Jack was tearing into the hotdogs while Beth
busied herself getting water to boil.
Marla was content to lean against the counter with a bottle of water in
hand. She couldn't stand the taste of
well water so she brought her own. It
wasn't long before buns were opened, condiments were pulled out of the fridge,
some fries were in the stove, and the dogs were slowly boiling. A rather generic dinner it was going to be,
but it was certainly not horrible.
As everyone busied themselves with anything to keep their
attention off watching water boil, they passed around small talk and stories
about days-gone-by. Jack couldn't stop
talking about his dream of opening an auto shop in town. His father had always mused about doing it,
wanting to quit his plain day-job to start something of his own. Jack always humored him but it wasn't until
his father passed away that it really became his dream too. Marla not only supported him, but seemed to
drive him. She knew how important of a
dream it is and was determined to help him see it through. Beth, on the other hand, couldn't care less
about cars. She chimed in with a wistful
remembrance of her last Spring Break and this guy that she had spent her time
flirting with. Alcohol and guys had
always her thing and it brought many interesting conversations to the table.
"Hey, everything is almost done. Has anyone seen Sam?" She had never come to join them in the
kitchen. "Maybe she's out in the
sitting room?" He motioned to the
door. It was possible that she decided
the little cooking area was just too crowded and instead picked her book back
up.
"I'll go check."
Jack sauntered out of the room to fetch her. Everyone else began building their dinner.
They waited a minute or so before finally Marla decided to
take the first bite. It wasn't until the
first dogs were gone that Beth voiced what was on everyone's mind, "It
sure is taking them a long time..."
She huffed and set her plate down.
"I think I'm going to check on them."
All three of them decided to go, crowding their plates onto
the counter and filling out of the kitchen into the sitting room. It was empty.
However, Beth stopped on the landing of the stairs, holding a hand out
to stop the others. "Hey, what is
that sound?" She cocked her head a
bit to listen. The other two
followed. In the silence a faint ticking
could be heard. Not like a clock or
something mechanical, but it was a ticking nonetheless.
"I don't know... Maybe it was always there? These old houses sometimes settle
funny." Marla shrugged as she said
this, sounding a little uncertain. They
waited a few seconds, listening to the funny ticking before continuing up the
stairs. Eventually it seemed to fade,
the house having returned to silence as they gained the top step. The hall was empty so the trio continued
towards the room with the pink bed.
"Hey, Jack, Sam, what are you two doing?" Marla took the lead, reaching the door a few
steps ahead of everyone. "The dogs
are done. They're probably cold by
now..." She went in without
knocking. Then there was silence.
"Hey, you tw-"
He turned through the doorway, nearly knocking Marla over in the
process. She had stopped just inside the
room, standing there with a slightly awkward silence. He couldn't see the other two in the open
room.
"They're not here." She continued in, heading towards the closet
and crawlspace. The wooden door was
still on the floor where it had been before they left though there was no sign
of Jack or Sam. "What are you two
working at? There's nothing in the
stupid space." Marla ducked her
head into the hole in the wall.
"It's so friggin' dark in here, I can't see- Hey!" She scrambled her way further in.
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