Plan B to U

Chapter 2 - Goosebumps Down My Neck, P'Job

Time rolled into mid-September; it rained almost every day. And on the day I had a big mission, fate seemed especially keen on tormenting me.

 

Everything had been damp and soggy since morning. Lucky for me, the moving company handled hauling all my stuff and furniture from the old apartment to the new house without a hitch-nothing broken. And this time, my best friends came to help arrange everything, so I made it through the brutal day without too much exhaustion.

 

Once everything was settled, I slowly wandered through each corner of the house, in and out of one room after another, pulling out my phone to snap photos with pride. Mom, Dad... we finally have a house of our own.

 

The thought alone made my tears want to fall. I sucked in a deep breath to choke back the rising emotion, then walked back to rejoin Nikm and Em at the lounge area.

 

"Thanks a lot for coming to help, you guys."

 

"Anytime, dude. And when you pick a date for the housewarming ceremony, don't forget to let me know." Em said cheerfully. He paused for a beat before delivering the kicker: "I'm coming to eat for free."

 

Don't expect anything; don't get disappointed—my useless friend.

 

"You really didn't have to spill your whole heart out, you know."

 

"Friends have to be honest, c'mon."

 

"You two cut the nonsense and come take a memorial photo before the rain starts up again."

 

It was Nikm who cut us off after the cloudy sky cleared up again. He hurried us outside and volunteered to play photographer, but I wasn't having it. Since Nikm and Em were both important pieces of my life, I didn't hesitate to wave them into the frame.

 

"Come on, get in the shot." I beckoned them over.

 

"It's your house, though."

 

"But you guys are my family too."

 

"So touched my tears are running down to my calves."

 

How exactly do tears flow down to your calves? He rambles whatever.

 

After setting the phone camera on a timer, the three of us moved into position in front of it. I was in the middle, mouth stretched into a wide grin, arms wrapped tight around the framed photo of my parents. On the left was Em, suddenly feeling cool, hands shoved into his pockets. On the right was Nikm, going for the cute angle, hands pressed together to form a heart, with the new house as our warm backdrop. The countdown ticked.

Three... two... one...

 

"Say it together—lychee~"

 

The flash burst. At last, I had a complete family photo, just like everyone else.

 

By the time I'd come down the stairs after finishing wiping down cabinets and shelves, it was already deep into the night. My body wasn't tired at all, probably because I was still hyped from moving into the new house, with happiness brimming over to the point that it nearly spilt out of my mouth.

 

So I had to break in the place by grabbing my laptop and casually playing some games at the coffee table. The first ten minutes were fine, but five minutes later, my ears picked up clack-clack and thunk-thunk sounds coming from outside.

 

I froze, straining to listen for the source. Nothing seemed unusual, so I didn't want to dwell on it and turned back to the screen. But before long, the same sound came again.

Weird, right?

 

So I didn't drown in the lingering question; I got up and walked to the window by the lounge area, pushed it open, and stuck my head out, scanning left and right. But all I saw was pitch darkness and the rustle of leaves.

 

"Overthinking it."

 

That said, I closed the window. As I turned back to my seat before I'd even reached the table, the same sound chased after me again.

I jolted, arm hair standing on end. Fear began to seep in, but I tried to summon some courage and told my body not to panic.

 

Mom and Dad wouldn't pop in to congratulate me in the middle of the night, would they? That'd be way too cruel.

 

Since I didn't feel like gaming anymore, I shut the laptop and headed back upstairs to wash off some of the anxiety. Luckily, no horror-movie scene materialised, no eerie moments, no jump scares. That alone was enough relief to let me enjoy a happy shower.

Once everything was done, I towelled off my still-damp hair and walked to the wardrobe. One hand grabbed a pair of pyjama pants with a worn-out little bear pattern. But as I was pulling out a T-shirt, a sound made me jump-startled enough to whip around and look.

Something must have fallen on the floor.

Curiosity pushed me back toward the bathroom, half-brave, half-terrified- two steps forward, one step back, breath coming in shallow gasps like I was using my last gulp of life to confirm the truth.

 

I slowly pushed the door open, and the scene revealed concrete evidence that gave me another wave of relief. Oh... the towel rack had fallen. Must not have been mounted tightly. I had to crouch down, pick it up, and set it under the sink. I'd find time to fix it tomorrow.

 

"Holy shit!!"

 

As I stood up to my full height, I accidentally let out a shout. My heart pounded out of rhythm. Not long after, I realised the thing that had appeared in the mirror was just my own face.

 

"There, there..."

 

How can you be this handsome and still get scared?

 

I exhaled hard and pressed a hand to my chest to soothe myself.

 

Click!

Not letting hope linger, every single light in the house suddenly cut out for no reason. That's when my body moved faster than my brain. My legs leapt out of the bedroom before I could even grab a shirt. I pounded down the stairs ten at a time, screaming through the house as if my life depended on it.

 

"GHOOOOOST!!!"

 

Stay if you want, but I'm out of here!

 

Getting hit with this kind of combo was beyond what I could handle. The only refuge I could think of was a neighbour. Amid the terror and my trembling body, I gritted my teeth and stumbled through the pitch-black house.

 

Items I'd just organised got kicked over and scattered—but did a guy like Nile care? I yanked open the door, sprinted across the front garden toward the wooden fence, tears streaming from sheer terror.

 

"HEEEEEEELP!! GHOST'S AFTER MEEEE!!"

 

After taking long strides out to the street in front of the house, I stopped dead in shock when I saw every light in the entire neighbourhood was out, like I'd dropped right into a scene from Silent Hill.

 

I lost it instantly, running around aimlessly. The second I realised my tiny brain couldn't solve the problem in front of me, my body hit its limit. I can't take this anymore. I'd rather die...

 

That thought finished, my whole body collapsed onto the middle of the road. All consciousness faded. The last image I saw was the night sky with no stars.

 

The terrifying memory chased me into my dreams. By the time I'd pulled myself out of the haze, I realised I was sprawled out on an ambulance stretcher. Paramedics were bustling around tending to me. I caught faint voices saying that the neighbours had called for help because they'd thought someone was dead.

 

I wasn't dead. Just passed out.

 

"Cou-could I please stay at the hospital?"

 

And I passed out again, terrified of having to go back and sleep in that haunted house.

 

"Oh, feeling better?"

 

My condition wasn't anything serious, so the doctor let me go home around four a.m. But I didn't head back right away. I chose to camp out in a 24-hour fast food joint until morning instead.

 

By the time I finally made it back home, it was already late morning. I gathered up my courage, took care of personal matters, and brought out the trash. While I was at it, I made sure to swing by Auntie's house across the way to say thanks.

 

"I'm feeling better, so I wanted to thank you for calling the ambulance last night, Auntie."

 

Her name was Auntie Pranom. We'd been close since my food-delivery days, so when the emergency happened, I got help right away.

 

"No worries at all. I saw some shadow lying in the middle of the road and got scared. At first I thought it was a dog."

 

Excuse me?? Cry~

 

"Um... Auntie, can I ask you something?"

 

Lately I'd been listening to a lot of True Crime podcasts, which is why the phrase "Auntie Next Door Cracks the Case" popped into my head. Everything around me looked suspicious, and the events happening seemed like a hazing ritual from something supernatural-too much to chalk up to coincidence. Auntie was the only one who might be able to help.

 

"What do you want to know?"

 

"Has anything bad happened at this house before? I... feel something off, " saying it gave me goosebumps, a chill running from my spine to the back of my neck.

 

"This house?" Auntie's eyes darted around; she was so visibly flustered it was painfully obvious. 

 

"Nooo~"

 

Whoa, that pitch was so high. Even more suspicious now.

 

"You sure?"

 

"Don't overthink it, dear."

 

"I'm probably overthinking it for real."

 

"Auntie's got to go fix lunch for your Uncle. We'll chat again later." 

 

Hundred-per-cent textbook person-with-a-secret. On top of that, she deflected by changing the subject. But I'm not the pushy type who'd grill her for answers. When I saw she wasn't cooperating, I let it slide.

 

"Thanks again for helping me last night, Auntie."

 

"Anytime, dear."

 

I forced a smile. Deep down I didn't buy that there was nothing to it. But how to dig up the truth—'d have to think it over more carefully. And that question stuck in my head for the rest of the day.

 

In the Multimedia Department class, they were screening a legendary horror film for us to study. But I couldn't quite give the projector my full attention because I was still preoccupied with the new house.

 

Nearly a week had passed, and the weird stuff kept happening. I told my best friends everything, no holding back, recapping night one, night two, and onward until I could practically turn it into a serialised ghost-story epic and make money off it.

 

"From what I'm hearing, your house seriously fits the 'haunted house' bill." Nikm offered his theory. Em immediately pushed back.

 

"But you can't just chalk it up to ghosts. Didn't you ask the auntie across the way, and she said nothing bad happened?"

 

"She might be lying."

 

The two of them argued so hard I had to step in and ask for their opinion instead.

 

"So what should I do?"

 

"You've got to verify the facts first. List out everything you've experienced." Nikm pulled out his phone and started secretly typing under the table to make a bullet-point log.

 

I rolled my eyes back, trying to think, recalling each strange incident.

 

"When I was in the living room, the feeling was just off. The air felt freezing cold."

 

'Cold spot. Is this area colder than usual?’

 

That line echoed from the speakers inside the screening room, causing all three of us to whip our heads toward the screen at the same time in disbelief. The timing was way too perfect with our conversation.

 

I swallowed thick saliva down my throat before whispering to my best friends.

 

"And things kept falling, even though I didn't touch anything."

 

THUD!!

Exactly as I finished my sentence, a scene in the film had something fall too, plus a full-blown jump scare that made all three of us yelp and nearly fly out of our seats.

 

"WAAAHHH", I might actually start bawling.

 

"Keep it together, dude. Keep going."

 

"I-I kept hearing creaking sounds from outside, but when I opened the door or window to look, there was nothing there."

 

"Damn, that's chilling," Em muttered. I kept going even though I was scared out of my mind.

 

"I started having nightmares."

 

‘What makes you think your house is haunted?' I saw it in a dream, Father'

 

Oh hell no! Even the heroine in the movie was telling the priest she'd had ghost dreams. That just hammered home the fact that what she was going through was uncannily Similar to what I was going through.

 

"First night I moved in, every light in the house went out. And when I bolted out of the house, I got even more freaked because the whole street was pitch dark. I couldn't see a damn thing."

 

"I'm calling it, your house is definitely haunted." Em snapped his fingers to seal the verdict.

 

Once I got to that point, I just slumped back against the chair, body too limp to move. Just kill me already.

 

Half an hour later, the lights gradually came back on after the movie ended. But we still couldn't figure out what to do. Thoughts ran in circles in my head, too tangled to find a way out.

 

"So what now?"

 

"First, calm down. Don't panic just yet." 

 

I wanted to fire back that you're the one who's freaking out more than anyone, Nikm, but I didn't bother. Too tired to argue.

 

"Maybe go straight to the seller? That Khun Gik guy or whatever should have answers."

 

"His name's Krich." That handsome face suddenly popped into my head. With his head-to-toe polished image, I'd never thought he'd be a scammer pawning off a house.

 

"But even if I ask, he probably won't tell. Otherwise the house wouldn't have sold in the first place."

 

"I've got another idea."

 

"What?"

 

Em looked confident. He leaned in and whispered in my ear.

 

"The auntie across from you"

 

"I literally just asked her."

 

"You've got no finesse. Winning over people her age is easy; bring some tasty food, or get her chatting about the neighbours to build rapport. Trust me, ask in roundabout ways long enough and she'll spill the truth."

 

"That actually sounds interesting. But say my house really does have a ghost, what should I do next?"

 

"Even better. I want to intern at Dead-Air Studio anyway, so I can get them to investigate your house. If it blows up, you'll rake in cash, no sweat."

 

What a bizarre idea. Real talent for turning a crisis into a full-blown disaster. Dead-Air was a famous ghost-storytelling show that pulled in listeners across all generations. If a story hit hard enough to generate buzz, they'd borrow its plot for a movie, and the story's location would get talked about too. But you want me to get famous like this?

 

"So like you. Every sentence dripping with concern." Concern for himself, that is. Not me.

Plus, next semester we'd all have to start internships, which only added to my anxiety. On top of not being able to pick a place, I was now stuck with the house problems piling on.

 

"By the way, do you two have any thoughts on where you want to intern?" After Em's question, Nikm and I just stared at each other blankly. From the looks of it, neither of us had a clue.

 

"I'll decide when it's closer. Either way, I've got to deal with the house first."

 

I quickly stood up, stuffed my things into my bag, and excused myself out of class.

 

That same evening, I went back to my part-time delivery job like always. The only difference was that today I called it quits early because I needed to corner Auntie across the way. I didn't want to wait or sit with doubt any longer, so I parked the bike at home and walked across to her side.

 

I pressed the doorbell with a pounding heart. Before long, Auntie came out. The two of us stood at the gate chatting like usual.

 

"Auntie Pranom, I happened to see a famous shop with a booth set up near the university while I was on my way, so I picked up some shredded-chicken noodles for you."

 

"Wow, thank you, dear."

 

"Thanks for calling the ambulance for me."

 

"Aren't you sweet."

 

Talk wasn't enough; I quickly handed over the goodies. And to really lay it on thick, one box wouldn't cut it; I'd brought a generous three.

 

"Auntie, can I ask you something?" Same question as before. But this time I dialled up the seriousness on my face, hoping she might cooperate. "Did something bad happen at the house I'm in, right?"

 

"Uh..."

 

Auntie caught herself. She stood still, clearly torn. But I didn't care; I leaned hard on the soft voice, milking the pity points.

 

"I haven't been able to sleep lately. Exhausted from school, from work, and now I have to stress about the house too. If you feel sorry for me, please tell me the truth."

 

"But if Auntie tells you, don't go saying you heard it from me, alright?"

 

"Absolutely not." I gave her my word and raised three fingers like I was swearing an oath.

 

Auntie held off for just a breath. She glanced left and right like she was on the lookout. Seeing no one was around, she slowly leaned in toward me, cupped a hand around her mouth, and lowered her voice.

 

"So before this house was sold to you, the previous owner slipped, fell, and died; nobody knew. By the time her children realised she'd gone silent, days had passed. The body was in really bad shape."

 

"It was that bad?"

 

My heart dropped. Suddenly everything went black around me.

 

"Auntie was probably one of the first to see it. To this day, the image is still stuck in my head."

 

"Why didn't I ever see this in the news?"

 

"Her daughter threatened to sue, so nobody dared talk about it anymore."

 

What I'd just heard was like a catalyst making my emotions boil over. There was nothing left in me but rage so hot smoke could've come out of my ears.

 

I'd been deceived. On top of that, I'd paid through the nose, using every last cent of my savings, to buy a house with a history. Hell no.

 

I'm getting my money back!!

 

"GET OUT HERE!"

 

The evening sky had turned to total darkness after the clock passed seven. The streetlights throughout the neighbourhood shone brightly. Only my heart was clouded over with rage.

 

After roaring my motorbike to the other side of the neighbourhood and pulling up in front of the enemy's house, I jabbed the doorbell on repeat, too charged up to stand still, pacing back and forth. But waited as I might, screamed as I did until my voice went raw- still no response. Then I noticed the empty parking pad and figured he probably wasn't home yet. But I wasn't backing down. I dug in and waited—I was going to settle this no matter what.

 

Time crawled in my head. One hour, then two. At first, I stood firm; later I had to sit because my legs were aching like crazy. Finally, the long wait ended when a familiar black European car came rolling closer. 

 

I planted myself in front of the electric gate, both arms thrown wide in protest.

 

"What's going on?"

 

Krich stepped out of the car, looking confused. I wasn't about to waste the chance-I let him have it.

 

"The house you sold me is haunted. I want my money back."

 

"Calm down. Let's talk it through."

 

"How am I supposed to calm down? Just tell me when you'll refund me, and I'll move out faster than fast."

 

"Hold on. You suddenly show up, say the house is haunted, and demand a refund? Don't you think that's a bit ridiculous?"

 

He lifted his chin like he had the upper hand. His attitude now was totally different from when he was sweet-talking me into buying the house. So this is the real face of humanity. I never should've fallen for his smooth talk and handsome face.

 

"If nothing happened, then why did you lie? Straight up, you tricked me into buying it. No wonder the price was so weirdly low."

 

"I didn't trick you. You didn't ask."

 

"My ass!"

 

Sloppy work. I figured he'd come up with something more creative.

 

We stood arguing in front of the gate without a shred of shame. Lucky for us, this side of the neighbourhood was all rich people, so nobody came out to peek or pretend to sweep their lawn while gossiping.

 

"You're young. Watch your language a little." 

 

Krich folded his arms and stared at me with a flat expression. You could tell he was holding his own temper back from blowing up.

 

"Who wants to be polite to a scammer? Refund me right now, and I won't go to the police."

 

I stretched out my hand and wiggled my fingers.

 

"On what charge?"

 

"Selling a haunted house."

 

He let out a laugh. This bastard was clearly trying to wind me up.

 

"Let me tell you something. My aunt's condition when she passed wasn't that horrifying. And she went peacefully. What reason would she have to haunt you? Nonsense."

 

"If your aunt wasn't haunting me, would I have gone digging into the truth about that house? Think about it."

 

"Can you actually prove it's a ghost? Has my aunt physically appeared in front of you?"

 

"Whatever. If you don't refund me, I'm suing."

 

"The money's all with her daughter. But sorry—she's moved abroad."

 

"Then I'll sue you instead."

 

Krich smiled the second he heard the threat. That smug, infuriating composure, mixed with the icy energy he was giving off, made me feel like I was losing the upper hand. He stepped closer. Since I'm all bark and no bite, I quickly took a step back to keep my distance.

 

"Legally, you'd lose anyway because you've already signed the deed transfer. Waste of time.”

 

I'll admit it, I was so angry I wanted to cry. I wanted to beat my own chest over how stupid I was. Every cent I had was my entire life. I never imagined that gambling on one house would bring this much trouble.

 

"So what am I supposed to do? Just live with a ghost?"

 

"You don't have to put up with anything. Just go home. You've been shouting loud enough to disturb the entire street."

 

Krich sighed and turned back to his car. As he was opening the door to get in, a stubborn human like me ran out of patience and shouted after him.

 

"You're so selfish! Give me my money back! That's my entire life savings!"

 

"Talking to you is like talking to a wall. I'm tired. When I'm free, come back, and we'll argue again."

 

The car door shut as the gate slid open. Since I couldn't just storm into his house- trespassing laws would have me by the throat—all I could do was stand there grinding my teeth, cursing him until I felt satisfied.

 

"So that's how it's gonna be? Fine! We'll see about that."

 

I spat out the last line bitterly, then grabbed my motorbike and rode back to my own house to recharge.

 

Bitterness still piled high in my chest, so I quickly called my best friends to vent everything bottled up inside.

 

"Paid the idiot tax to a handsome face, friends." Nikm and Em were fully engaged, and they pitied me enough to throw out all sorts of ideas. But right now my head was too jammed up to plan for the future. Just surviving the day's immediate problem was about all I could handle.

 

"You guys, come stay over and sleep here, please? I-I'm freaking out. I can't sleep alone."

 

Right now, every light—I repeat, every light—in the house was on. At least the brightness helped pull some courage back.

 

"Sorry, Nile."

 

And then a hundred and eight excuses came pouring out to convince me to understand. The truth wasn't that complicated-they were just as scared of ghosts as I was. Maybe even more.

 

The only thing I could actually use from their advice was wearing my amulet necklace the entire time I was inside, chanting a ghost-banishing prayer, and the last suggestion...

 

If everything spiralled out of control, talk to the ghost directly and ask for sympathy.

 

The last one sounded ridiculous. But I guess this is what human despair looks like.

 

Late at night, the air turned cold. The rain started drizzling. The atmosphere reminded me of countless horror movies I'd watched. I forced myself to lie under the blanket, lights still glaring on, ears straining to catch anything.

 

Even though nothing strange actually happened, my brain was busy fabricating things, and I couldn't close my eyes anyway.

 

Eventually I got up, sat cross-legged, pulled out my phone to find a banishing chant, and tried reciting it before catching that the so-called ghost-banishing chant was fake, copied from a famous horror movie. Sanity, off the rails. What else is new.

 

Ghost fear was rushing through me so hard I couldn't take being alone anymore. In the end, I gave in, grabbed a raincoat, and rode the motorbike through the wet night to my enemy's house.

 

My finger jabbed the doorbell over and over, undeterred. Eventually the gate opened, and the owner emerged. He walked out through the rain holding an umbrella. His eyes met mine with flat indifference.

 

"What do you want?"

 

"You have to take responsibility for not telling me the full story but still selling me the house." 

 

He tilted his head, not really getting where I was going, so I elaborated.

 

"Tonight you have to come sleep over at my place."

 

Honestly? I was embarrassed. But more scared of ghosts.

 

"No. If I go, who knows what kind of trap you've set up in there." He refused immediately and, on top of that, started turning back. But I was faster; I stopped him, willing to soften my stance a bit more.

 

"W-wait, don't go yet. I really can't sleep alone. It's terrifying."

 

Krich froze, eyes sizing up my drenched, sopping-puppy state. His attitude shifted; the sharp glint in his eyes softened. Hard to tell if I looked pitiable or just pathetic.

 

"Come in."

 

"Huh?"

 

"Rain's coming down this hard; I don't want to drag myself out into it. If you're really that scared, come stay at my place instead." 

 

Without giving me a chance to argue, he turned and walked back into the house with his umbrella.

 

I stood there confused for a moment. It took me another minute to fully reboot my brain.

 

My beloved motorbike got wheeled into the garage and parked next to that expensive European car. I peeled off my raincoat, then stepped into Krich's house, the man officially designated Enemy Number One.

 

The entire structure was grand and elegant. The furniture had unusual designs-definitely foreign brands churning out sofas and lamps that cost hundreds of thousands, even millions. But strangely... Why did it feel so empty, so lifeless? Like there wasn't even a hint that anyone actually lived here. No clutter, no stacks of paper, no half-finished water glass left on the table. Everything was clean and too perfect, like a showroom house no one lived in.

 

"Don't touch random stuff."

 

I pulled my hand back after accidentally stroking the marble on the wall out of curiosity.

 

"Big-ass house, looks rich as hell. How can you take advantage of people?" Opportunity to throw shade gotta take it, to take the edge off.

 

"Done sniping yet?"

 

"Nope."

 

He shook his head in resignation, but still led me through the central hall to the other side, a kind of lounge area. In the middle sat a long set of white sofas, with a fireplace as the centrepiece in front of them. My jaw dropped.

 

"Tonight you sleep on the sofa. Go home in the morning."

 

"I haven't even lain down, and you're already kicking me out. Where's your hospitality?"

 

Krich didn't say a thing. He just politely gestured for me to sit and wait, then headed upstairs and came back down with his arms full of a pillow and a white blanket.

 

"Use this to dry your head." His thick hand tossed a clean towel my way.

 

"I'm declaring a temporary ceasefire."

 

I took the towel and started drying my damp hair while offering the truce, at least for now.

 

"You're having that conversation by yourself."

 

"Oh, come on, old man. You want me to start cussing?"

 

So good at pushing buttons.

 

"Who's an old man? I definitely don't have a nephew with a personality like a hungry ghost."

 

"You wanna throw down?"

 

I rolled up my sleeves like I was getting ready. Talk smack long enough, and I might throw a punch. But Krich didn't look the least bit intimidated, on top of looking unbothered, he sank onto the other sofa and stared at me without blinking.

 

"I'm tired today. Don't want to fight."

 

I looked him over. His tall, slender figure was already in pyjamas. He was probably annoyed that I'd shown up to interrupt his rest. But deep down, I started wondering...

 

"You live here alone?"

 

"You can manage to live alone too. Where are your parents?"

 

"Both dead."

 

Krich's face clearly showed surprise at first. Before long, his handsome features returned to that usual flat expression.

 

"I'm sorry."

 

"It's fine. What about you? What do you do? How old? Got a girlfriend?"

 

I started seeing an opening for revenge. As long as the house conflict was unresolved, I needed to find his weak spots to use as leverage. At least if I could dig deep into his background, that might help.

 

"Why do you want to know?"

 

"Want to be closer."

 

"..”

 

When he didn't answer, I kept pressing without letting up.

 

"Got a safe? Which room do you sleep in? Which CCTV cameras are broken?"

 

"Are you trying to rob me?"

 

"Yeah, I might. Watch yourself. Come morning, the whole house might only have your underwear left."

 

"Ridiculous."

 

Krich shot to his feet. He stepped right up close to me.

 

My defensive instincts, on high alert, made me immediately raise both arms in a guard, ready to throw a punch if he attacked. But everything I'd expected was wrong, because all he did was press my body down onto the pillow with a firm voice.

 

"Just sleep. Annoying." Being the homeowner really does come with extra authority. It made me speechless for a moment.

 

Krich walked off. Before long, the room lights gradually dimmed until it was almost dark, leaving only a few lamps still casting their glow.

 

"Shit, the lights just went out on their own."

 

"I controlled it from my phone. You really must be paranoid."

 

"Can't you stay and argue with me first?"

 

"My house is safe. You can relax."

 

I pressed my lips together. I couldn't bring myself to say it out loud because of my ego. In the end, I had no choice but to accept my fate, curl my legs up against my body, and hug myself while self-hypnotising: It's fine, everything will pass... everything will pass... But only moments later, there was movement inside the house. I jolted up, then startled at the shadowy figure of someone.

 

"It's me. You looked scared, so I'll keep you company."

 

"You're not planning anything sinister, are you?"

 

"Don't be dramatic. Sleep."

 

"Promise you won't go anywhere."

 

"Umm."

 

His tall frame settled down next to me on the same sofa. Strange, considering we'd just declared war as enemies, hurling insults at each other only hours ago. Now the situation had completely flipped into a kind of comfort that let me drop my head back onto the pillow.

 

Nothing more was said after that. Just silence, no movement, but my heart was at peace. I figured I'd probably be able to sleep, because there was no fear left in me at all.