Watchers Chapter Three

Watchers

Chapter Three

The house was nice, with its clean walls and wooden floors, but to Ciana it wasn’t home. And more to the point, it was still filled with someone else’s belongings. Picture frames hung the walls, in them were just pictures of scenery with no one in the focal point. Ciana walked through the living room, noting how homely it felt but very empty at the same time.

“Ci,” Rhianne called from the kitchen. “Your room is the first on the left. Next to you is the spare room, that’s right we now have a spare room for visitors!” Her mum was so excited by that.

Ciana knew there was very little chance of anyone visiting. They had moved three hours away from her friends, from her school, from all the clothes shops a sixteen-year-old could want at her fingertips. Not to mention the cinema, fast-food shops and more she enjoyed with her friends every weekend. They had left that life to live here, a street where they were the only occupants. Even the Satnav had difficulty finding LittleBridge.

Rhianne walked through, carrying items to be placed in their new abode. “Your dad is unloading the van; can you start taking your stuff up to your room?”

“Sure,” she muttered.

“I know this is hard,” her mum leant against the wall. “And, I’m sorry we didn’t have much notice. You will miss your friends, but I promise this will all get easier. Once you start at the school, you’ll make new friends and this place will be perfect.”

“Sure,” Ciana muttered again. She was hurt, but there was absolutely nothing she could do about it. She picked up one of her boxes and climbed the wooden stair case.

“Ciana misses her boyfriend,” RJ laughed from the top step, turned around and ran his arms along his sides pretending he was kissing someone.

“Shut it!” Ciana warned.

“I’ll never forget you Greg,” he laughed again.

“I’m gonna kill you RJ!” On top of the box sat a mug that a friend had given her as a leaving gift. It said Friends Forever. Without thinking, Ciana grabbed the mug and threw it towards RJ’s head. It missed and smashed against the wall.

RJ laughed and ran into his room, slamming it shut so she couldn’t chase him.

She didn’t care now, she hadn’t meant to throw the gift, but she had. And now it sat in a million pieces across the floor.

“I’ll sweep it up!” Rhianne growled. Before Ciana could say anything she held her hands up, “I know, Okay, RJ is not making this any easier on you. He’s ten, and finding this as hard as you.”

“Funny way of showing it.”

“Just please try not to kill him, and please don’t break anything else. We’ve not even fully moved in yet and you’re both already trying to destroy this place.”

Her mum ushered her towards her room, and call RJ out. As Ciana closed her door, she could hear her mum telling RJ the same thing she had just told her.

The room was bigger than her old one. Against one wall was a bed, ready dressed, on the other wall was a wardrobe and a bookshelf, filled with books and other trinkets. There were more pictures in this room, each of scenery and no people.

 She dropped the box on the bed, kicking up a dust storm in the process.

“Gross,” she coughed, and rushed to open the window and air the room out. Her bedroom faced out on to the street, and the house she was looking at before. The birds were still in the trees, as she looked out the window, they seemed to turn in her direction and caw louder.

The box that sat on her bed toppled over and out fell the pictures of her friends. The photo’s that had been taken on the last day of school sprawled across the floor. Ciana picked them up, and looked them over with a sadness. Although they had promised to stay in touch, and meet up regularly, she knew it was unlikely to happen. They were all moving onto college where they would meet new friends, and Ciana would become nothing but the girl they used to know. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes.

“Cries don’t cry,” she whispered, and wiped them away. It wasn’t true, because Ciana had cried many times at night when no one could see or hear her. She hadn’t wanted to move, and had even been offered to live at a friend’s house. But the thought of leaving them was too much for Ciana, and even RJ who most of the time she would rather throttle, she would miss him too.

“Not too shabby, eh Grumps?” Ryan placed some boxes just inside the door.

Ciana forced a smile, trying to cover how she really felt. She placed some of the pictures against the frames, and sat on the bed.

“Well, what do you think?” Ryan asked, dusting himself down.

Ciana shrugged. Her dad had always called her Grumps, because she was apparently a grumpy baby wyo turned into an equally grumpy teenager.

“Hey, it’ll be alright,” he sat on the bed, and coughed through the dust. “Once the dust has settled,” he laughed.

Ciana smiled falsely.

“Yeah,” he stood. “A lick of paint and they’ll be great,”

“I want my room dad.”

“I know, I’m sorry. And, I’m sorry we didn’t get much time. But, Grumps, I couldn’t turn the job offer down. Plus, this house is great, and so cheap that we can afford to holiday for the next few years. One day you’ll understand why we’ve done this.”

“I know,” she sighed. “But this is all someone else’s stuff. Why is it still here?” Opening the wardrobe, she found clothes and shoes all neatly bagged as if they were new.

Ryan stood next to her, looking through the items. “I knew about the furniture, that was in with the house, but the clothes are a bit…excessive.”

“They’re for a 5 - year-old-girl.”

“Too small for you then,” he laughed. “I’ll tell you what. Unpack your stuff, and place all these bits in the boxes. I’m sure there’s a thrift shop in the town we can take them all to.”

“Don’t you find this whole place weird?” She glanced out the window, looking at the house opposite. “And, that guy Malcolm?”

“Yeah, he was a little over friendly,” Ryan smiled manically just like Malcolm had.

“Stop it,” she laughed.

“That’s better.” He clapped his hands together, “Right, let’s get this place sorted and then we’ll have takeaway tonight. Just hope your mother hasn’t unpacked the kitchen yet, we don’t want her cooking anything special on the first night!”

“I heard that!” Rhianne shouted.

Ryan grimaced and Ciana laughed. “Ok, Grumps?”

“Sure,” she smiled.

“Cool, come and help me get the rest of the boxes from the van.”

From the corner of the street Ben watched them unpacking. They seemed like a nice family. Friendly. He had heard the others talking about new people moving in, but he didn’t realise it would be this soon, and he didn’t know how many more there would be.

Ryan sat back, throwing his used napkin onto the table. “Well, that was a nice pizza.”

“Can I have another slice?” RJ asked.

Ciana hadn’t even eaten a whole slice, she’d just pushed it around the plate. “They don’t even deliver to here. Other people are scared of this place, Dad. What does that tell you?”

“It’ll do wonders for my figure, this way,” Rhianne smiled.

Ciana pushed her plate towards RJ and stood. “No, this town is such a weird place, that no one and I mean no one will come near it. Do you know where my laptop is?”

Rhianne took a moment to think, “It might be in your bag, that was in the car. Why?”

“Because I’m going to go and update my friends, and research this hell hole you’ve dragged me into.”

“Don’t…” Rhianne started to say.

Ryan stopped her, “Just let her go, she’ll be okay.”

Ciana grabbed her bag from the hallway and ran up to her room. Closing her door, she sat on her bed and emptied her bag out. The box of clothes and toys that once lined the room sat on the floor. Even with the lights on, the room gave her goosebumps. So, she stood, opened the door and simply slid the box out.

“That’s better,” she sighed, and switched her laptop on. As soon as it sprang to life, it looked for local WIFI but couldn’t find anything. She growled into the pillow which smelt of dust. Then, she spotted her phone and she realised she could use that to get on the internet. The phone was off; she hadn’t wanted to speak to people because leaving had been hard enough. Switching it on, she waited, entered her password and then stared at the bars of signal. There were none. “That’s okay, she told herself, it can take a minute.” She sat, with baited breath just waiting for a glimpse of something. Anything. “Nothing?” She shouted. “Can this place get any weirder?”

Curling around everything that had strewn her bed, she knew there was nothing else to do, but sleep.

###

Her mum was shouting, calling for her.

“What?” Ciana mumbled.

“RJ has gone out to investigate and its getting dark, can you go and get him in please?”

“Argh!” She growled, “I'm asleep.”

“Cici, please?”

Ciana grunted and she sat up, wiping the sleep from her eyes. Her laptop was still open, the time showing she'd only been asleep for twenty minutes or so. The curtains hadn’t been drawn and it was dusky outside. She stomped down the stairs and out the front door.

“RJ?” she called, but the was no answer. “RJ!” She moved across the yard towards the street. The whole time looking for him. The crows squawked at her and fled the trees. She jumped, and watched as they circled above. "Seriously! I have jumped more times in this town than I have spoken! Shoo!” She threatened up to the sky.

The wind picked up, there was no sun anymore, just thick black clouds that caused a darkness. Ciana pulled her arms around her, trying to keep warm through the chill that appeared.

“Ryan-Junior, you come home right now!” She yelled.

It was eerie, there were no other people in the street, but she felt like a million pairs of eyes were watching her. The wind carried on, and she could hear whispers telling her to “leave” and “turn back.” The voice drifted right up to her ear making her batt them away.

As the wind blew it kicked up all the dust from the abandoned gardens, the dust travelled around her creating a fog. The further she walked the thicker it became.

“RJ, please, come on!” She called as she held her hands up to protect her face. Through the fog she could see a silhouette. Someone standing at the side of the road.

“RJ is that you?” She shouted. If she couldn't see, then he certainly wouldn't be able to. “Look there's some freaky storm coming, we have to get back. Mums going mad!” She ran towards him, tripping over the curb as she grew closer. She landed on her knees and scrambled to get up. The dust started to settle, and she could see it wasn't RJ but a man hanging from a hangman's noose. 

Ciana screamed and scrambled backwards. The dust receded more and she could see the streets were lined with people, men, women and children all hanging from nooses. Their legs swung in the breeze and their dead eyes all stared ahead.

Ciana screamed again, and again trying to move away, but everywhere she turned there were more bodies. She sunk to the floor and placed her hands to her face, screaming into the night,

Ben smiled to himself. He couldn't help it. It was the only joy he got - interfering with their dreams. His hand sat on Ciana’s forehead as she slept. She lay on the bed tossing and turning, her breath leaving in gasps as the nightmare rampaged through her mind.

"Ben?"

"What?"

“Don't tease her, it won't make her go.”

“They can't be here, Anais. It's not safe.”

Anais put her hand on his. “We just deal with the fact that they are. And, more will come.”

He removed his hand from her head, a little smile sat on his face. Ciana stopped tossing and turning, settling into a more relaxed sleep. Ben turned to Anais, her fiery red hair and fiery red eyes glowing through the dark. “The shadows are growing.”

“I know.” She stood by him and looked at Ciana as she slept. “You like her, don't you?”

“No!” He said abruptly.

“She’s one of the first new people in this town for a while.”

“Nah,” he laughed. “Just someone new to mess around with.”

Anais grinned. “Never know, you might even attach.”

“No! I don't attach. The minute I do, then I'm in danger with the rest of them.” He ran his hands through his hair, “I just don't want to see anymore taken. Three earlier, and I watched them go. They were too quick.”

“I know,” Anais placed a hand on his shoulder. “Lydia told me.”

“I don't want to hear their screams anymore. If we stop the shadows taking, maybe we will all survive?”

“Maybe,” Anais said with little hope. “Just leave her be tonight, it's their first night here, don't you think they've had enough with all that moving?”

He nodded but wasn’t convinced. “One more warning won't hurt.” Ben leant in close, his face almost touching Ciana’s. "Leave this place, and never come back!" He whispered in her ear.

Ciana felt the breath on her skin and she awoke with a start. She could see someone standing in the shadows. She froze and stared at the silhouette, waiting for it to move.

"Oh crap..." Ben whispered and vanished with Anais.

It wasn't until Ciana’s eyes adjusted to the light she realised it was her clothes hanging on the cupboard door. She let out a sigh of relief and settled back down. Within seconds she was asleep again.