Specter's Omen

The heavy rain pelted the window, creating a soothing beat that helped all but a pair of watchful eyes relax. Night had fallen and all the night critters were out and about seeking food. All but a white specter that stared through a window at a young sleeping boy, its gaze not breaking for a second, even as a small mouse ran beneath it.

A door opened and a shadow crept through the room towards the sleeping boy, reaching for him, footsteps ever so quiet as to not wake anyone. In a moment, a gentle hand came down upon the boy’s shoulder and lightly shook him.

Coming out of a dream where he was being chased by a thousand white owls, he turned over to confront the one who would wake him, fearful of who it might be. The shadow brought up a hand to their lips as they hushed him before he could speak. He relaxed as he saw it was his mother.

The lamp by his bed came on revealing her face, a face of someone who had been crying, a face of someone who had lived in fear for years. Afraid of every little action she does and the consequences that come with them. He had been at the brunt end of those consequences as well for his own actions.

“Quiet. Grab your shoes. I already have your bag with clothes,” she whispered.

The boy nodded and grabbed his shoes from under his bed and put them on. His mother grabbed his coat and had him put it on. It was the middle of winter in Tacoma, which meant it was cold and wet.

They turned off the lamp and snuck out of the room and down the hall. The hall floors squeaked under the mother’s and son’s weight. They paused and listened for any movement. When no movement could be heard, they moved on, wincing as the floor continued to squeak under them until they were out of the hall and out the door.

The rain was heavy, drenching them almost immediately. Nervously, the boy looked around, a white creature caught his eye. It stared back, spreading its massive wings out. The creature looked like a ghost, and it terrified him.

They ran down the driveway and took a left down the street. At the end a car waited, it was the mother’s friend, ready to take them far away. He looked around again and saw the creature. It followed, gliding overhead and watching.

“Mom, what is that?” asked the boy, terrified of whatever that creature was.”

Looking up briefly as she opened the back door for him, she said “it’s just an owl Jacob, now get in, hurry.” Once he was in, she shut the door and got in the front passenger seat. “Thanks Mira, let’s get out of here.”

Mira, nodded and sped off. The tension in the car was high as they knew it’d be a little while before they would be free. Jacob watched his mom talk to her friend. He zoned out of what they were discussing, instead thinking about the fact they were away from his dad.

His dad had issues with anger. He was never physical, not in any way that caused any harm to them. Recently, Jacob was cleaning the living room and missed a sock that was on the ground in front of the TV. He had gone off to do his homework when he heard his dad scream. He blamed his mom for raising a lazy child before bursting into the room, grabbing him by his shirt, lifting him up and slamming him against the wall. Jacob was terrified as his dad let out every curse he could possibly let out. A moment later, a warm feeling trickled down his leg as his bladder released its contents which only angered his father more.

Jacob and his mom were forced to stay awake all night cleaning every little spot in the house while he sat watching TV, getting annoyed when they vacuumed the living room, but remaining silent. This was only the latest event.

He and his mother walked on eggshells constantly, fearing they would wake the beast. Anything did it, forget to wash a dish and every dish became broken and they were blamed. Didn’t take out the trash right when it was full, and they were picking up every scrap of trash for hours.

Jacob looked out the car window and saw the owl following in the air. He wasn’t sure if it was the same owl or not, but it looked like it to him. In a normal setting, he might have admired the bird’s beauty, but this wasn’t a normal night or a normal setting.

“Amanda, don’t worry, we’re safe. He won’t find you. He doesn’t know about this cabin, you’re safe.” Mira had been trying to do everything to calm her friend down and keep her focused. She knew how people got when leaving their abusive partners. Fear and doubt flooded their minds. She was a trauma psychiatrist and worked with the victims of abuse daily.

“I know Mira, but still. Something doesn’t feel right,” Amanda said. She had a sinking feeling in her gut, the same feeling she got whenever her husband was almost home.

Jacob looked around, feeling a similar feeling. Maybe it was just anxiety from his mom’s fear, or maybe it was his own fear. That fear, however, was founded as a car was approaching rapidly, the horn honking.

“Damn! He found us!” Amanda was turned around, looking out the back window.

“Calm down. We’ll go to the police station instead. It’s close by. He wouldn’t dare touch you there.” Mira turned down a road, increasing speed as much as was safe to do so.

His dad’s car sped up beside them, he had his window down yelling for them to stop. Jacob sat in the back, terrified, looking around for the owl which was no longer there. The shouting continued from his dad, his mom sat in the front seat, hands on ears, eyes closed tightly, screaming trying to drown him out.

A tense situation became chaotic and dangerous. Mira tried to remain focused on the road, however her friend’s husband was trying to pull ahead to cut them off. The speeds were dangerous, hitting fifty in a thirty zone. She hoped that a cop would be hiding around a corner somewhere so they can put an end to this. Her own fear was building, and she struggled to keep it at bay.

Jacob felt everything. The mounting fear, the anger, the stress. Everything was pouring into him threatening to drown him. He pulled his knees up to his chest, eyes shut and hands over ears as he rocked back and forth quietly screaming to himself.

Then all was silent, the silence before the storm. Jacob’s eyes opened as he saw his dad’s car flip and spin around, glass spraying in all directions. Then the storm struck, chaos erupted. The sound of metal twisting and snapping as his dad’s car struck their car, sending them spinning and tumbling down the road and into a tree. Then it was silence once again, darkness, sleep. Any fear and stress gone. Silence had taken over.

“Jacob Garner, age nine, the only survivor. His mom Amanda Garner, age twenty-eight, his dad David Garner, age twenty-nine, and another woman, Doctor Miranda Vogal, age thirty-one died in the accident.” It was a deep male voice that spoke, waking him from his slumber.

Jacob’s eyes slowly opened.

The room was dim, the sounds of the machines beeped. It was empty and quiet otherwise. The source of the voice he heard was nowhere to be found. He tried to speak but found his throat dry and sore. He tried to move but found his body resisted.

A moment later, a woman entered the room, hair gray and skin wrinkled, showing her age. Her eyes were nice though, a warm smile on her face when she saw he was awake. “Glad to see you’ve joined us. How do you feel?”

Jacob’s voice was raspy as he spoke “my body doesn’t want to move.”

The woman put her hand on his arm which he felt. “It probably won’t move easily for a while. You’ve been asleep for a couple weeks after a bad accident. But don’t worry hun, we’ll get you back on your feet.”

“Who was the man that was just in here?”

The woman looked confused as she said, “man? No one has been in here except just me and another nurse since you were brought in.”

Jacob looked around, “but I heard him say that my mom died.”

She pulled up a seat and sat down next to him, her smile fading and eyes showing sympathy as she gripped his hand. “I’m sorry but yes, your mom passed away in the accident.” She really didn’t want to tell him when he himself was still recovering, but at that point she had no choice.

“Who was the man?”

“I am unsure who you mean. We did speak with an officer when you were brought in here, however, you were unconscious. How did you hear it?”

Jacob was getting frustrated. “No, I just heard him. What he said woke me up. I know he’s here. Who is he?”

“I’m sorry Jacob, but I don’t know who you’re talking about. No one has been in your room for the past two hours and I was the last one in here.” She looked at the monitors before putting her attention back on him. She took her hand and brushed his raven hair from his eyes. “You should rest. Someone will be by in the morning to talk to you.” She paused as she noticed a ghostly white creature outside. “Looks like you have a visitor. Barn Owls are such beautiful creatures.” She patted his hand and got up, leaving the room.

Tears strolled down Jacob’s face as he looked out the window. His mom was gone, his dad was gone. He was alone. “All I have left is you.” Outside his window was the white specter. The owl sitting in a tree looking in at him, watching him. Jacob only knew it as a bird of death at that point. He didn’t blame it, he welcomed it. It provided a sort of comfort. His mother calling it an owl kept ringing through his mind. It was the last thing he remembered her saying.

Want to continue the series?