The moment the officer whispered those words, every muscle in my body froze.
“He’s already inside the house.”
My heart was racing so violently I thought I might collapse right there on the porch.
“What are you talking about?” I stammered.
The officer stepped forward, his eyes locked on the staircase visible through the front hallway.
“I don’t have time to explain everything,” he said. “But your children have been trying to reach you for hours.”
My stomach dropped.
“Then where are they?”
Before he could answer, a loud thud echoed from the second floor.
Both of us jumped.
The sound was unmistakable.
Someone was upstairs.
A chill ran down my spine.
I knew I had been alone all day.
Or at least I thought I had.
The officer immediately reached for his radio.
“Stay behind me.”
But before he could say another word, my phone suddenly vibrated in my hand.
A text message.
From my oldest son.
The same son who had supposedly written the note.
My fingers trembled as I opened it.
Mom.
Do NOT let him see this message.
We’re outside.
We’ve been watching the house.
He’s been inside since this morning.
Panic surged through me.
I looked toward the officer.
Outside?
Then who had been sending me those messages all afternoon claiming they were “running late”?
Another text arrived instantly.
Those weren’t us.
Someone has been using our phones.
My vision blurred.
Nothing made sense anymore.
Then another loud crash came from upstairs.
This time followed by footsteps.
Slow.
Heavy.
Deliberate.
The officer pulled me behind him.
“Mrs. Thompson,” he said quietly, “I need you to tell me something.”
“What?”
His jaw tightened.
“Has anyone else ever had a key to this house?”
I opened my mouth to answer.
Then suddenly remembered something I hadn’t thought about in nearly fifteen years.
Someone who disappeared after a bitter family argument.
Someone who swore I’d regret what I had done.
Someone whose final words still haunted me.
“You’ll never get rid of me.”
The memory hit me like a truck.
The officer saw the terror in my eyes.
“Who is it?” he demanded.
Before I could answer, a voice drifted down from the top of the stairs.
A voice I hadn’t heard in over a decade.
“Mom…”
My blood turned to ice.
The officer slowly raised his flashlight.
And standing at the end of the hallway was the one person I believed was dead.
To be continued in C0mments 👇
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