It was early New Years Eve, evening with the twilight shining on the snow. I sat at the window of the apartment staring out at the cold and snow. It was freezing and the roads were very icy. I heard the television drone on in the back ground imploring all the celebrating and partying to be careful as the roads would continue to get worse; more snow was on the way. Joy of joys. I was bored with winter already and it was only turning January.
I crossed the room and switched off the television. My mom had gone to friends of hers for a poker party. Some friends and she were planning on playing all night. I was sincerely hoping she had fun. She and my dad had not been split up for long and she needed some fun. My sister was at a friend's for the night and since my dad had forgotten to pick me up, I would be home alone. Oh, well. I would turn on the stereo, eat junk food and read. All of my favorite teen age past times.
As I crossed the tiny living room from turning off the television to the stereo, the lights flickered. Normally, with the wind and snow this would not bother me, but there had been so many strange occurrences in this apartment that I stopped in my tracks. I was shaking all over. I looked briefly around the room telling myself to knock it off, it was the weather! Just the same, I decided I would put candles and the battery operated radio on the table in front of me while I had my junk food fest. I went into my room and grabbed a few candles and my book.
As I came back around the corner to go back into the living room, I saw THAT hand again! The weathered hand from my last story! It was curled around the wall as if going into the living room. The hand was brushing against the corner of the was as if the being it was attached to had just gone around the corner. I stopped, stopped breathing, stopped walking, and stopped everything! I was terrified. I started to back up into my room and I heard this laughter. It was like it was coming from all around me, as if it was on a speaker system or something to project sound. It was not loud, but it was not a whisper. It was very, very cold. The very sound chilled me to my core!
I backed into my room and continued to stare towards the living room. I could not see into the living room as it was around the corner. I could only see a small portion of the walls. As I watched, shadows began to move across the wall. These shadows were the reflective type given off by someone moving around in the room. I continued to stare, transfixed to the spot. There was very little noise in the apartment. The only thing I could hear was a swishing sound, like fabric rubbing together; it was coming from the living room.
Finally, something inside of me woke up and I started thinking, "Wake up dummy! Don't just stand here! Call someone!" I backed up to my telephone all the while watching the shadows on the wall and hearing the occasional swish of clothing. I called the first number that came to mind. It was a guy I had been dating on and off for a few months, we were more friends than anything. He answered after about the fourth ring. All I could get out of my mouth was to squeak, "Please come and get me, now!" He was saying "Kim, are you all right? Where are you? I said "Home! Hurry!" He said he was on his way and I hung up the phone, all the while watching the shadows.
All at once I heard the laugh again, all around me and felt a bone chilling cold pass through me, after that it was like a weight had lifted from the air. I looked over to the walls again and there were no shadows, there was no swishing noise, nothing. And, as I said, everything just felt lighter and airy.
Although I somehow knew that it had left, I couldn't move. I was still so terrified. I stood there near the phone for what seemed like an hour but must have been about 5 minutes.
Head lights appeared in the drive way and shone through the curtains. I heard a car door slam, and then a knock at the door. My friend was at the door. Thank God! I threw open the door and ran outside, no shoes on, no coat. I was crying and hugging him and trying to explain all at the same time. He kept telling me to calm down and was ushering me back into the apartment. We sat down on the couch and he asked what happened. He told me he brought a couple friends with him in case I was in trouble, they were in the car. I asked him to have them come in and would they stay for a while and watch a movie or something. He said they would.
I told him I was going to get some dry socks, I would be right back. As I entered my room, I heard the front door open and close. He had gone outside to get his friends. No problem. They would be right in. I sat on the edge of my bed and pulled of my wet socks and rubbed my freezing feet. I heard a slight scrapping noise and looked up. In the corner of the hall way, there she stood! The same piercing blue eyes and pointed teeth! Starring at me and smiling. She appeared to be, again, about 7 feet off the ground. She was wearing grey. All grey. It appeared to be like an old bath robe that came all the way down to were her feet would be and was cinched loosely at the waist with a belt. Her teeth were as if made to be at a point and it was ALL of her teeth. There was no evidence of decay or anything visible, and with the way she was leering at me they were visible. Her vivid blue eyes were cold, almost as if you were to fall into a freezing lake and be able to see the top but not get there. I kept feeling that way, drowning almost when I stared back at her. There was no wind or breeze, but her steel grey hair looked like it was being blown back from her sallow face.
I screamed as loud and long as I ever have. My friend came running through the front door along with two of his friends. The came bounding into the bed room. I opened my eyes and she was no longer there. I was crying pretty much hysterically at this time.
The next thing I remember is being in my friends old Pontiac squished in the front seat between him and one of his friends. They kept asking me what had happened. I just kept shaking my head and crying. We got about four blocks from my apartment, heading to the house where my mom was playing cards as we came close to a four way stop.
The roads were indeed icy as was earlier predicted so my friend began slowing for the stop sigh quite a ways. I heard one of the guys in back say "Why would anyone be walking on a night like this, especially an older person, they could fall and hurt themselves".
I looked up and there in the center of the cross walk was the thing! All gray and misty looking. She turned and stared and smiled. Everyone in the car gasped at once, like sucked in their breath. She continued to look at us, grinning and crossed the street, and then she appeared to be gone. One of the guys asked if we had all seen her disappear. All of the others reasoned it was the heavy snow playing tricks on the eyes. They felt that was the reason she appeared misty in the cross walk and she now was poof, gone!
The rest of the ride to be with my mom is a blur. The next day when we went home back to the apartment, our friend had made it clear she had returned that evening.
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