“Crazy things?” I repeated, my voice cracking. “Claire, she’s practically skin and bones! There are glowing symbols in her closet!”
“Glowing symbols?” Claire’s tone was flat, laced with an exasperated humor that stung. “Dad, come on. That sounds like something out of a horror movie.”
“It *is* a horror movie, Claire!” I yelled into the phone, ignoring Brandon and Sierra, who watched me with a chilling composure. “They’re pretending it’s a virus, but it’s not. I found arcane marks. They’re trying to keep me away.”
“Dad, please,” she said, her voice softening slightly, but still firm. “You’ve been through a lot. Maybe you’re not seeing things clearly. Brandon and Sierra love Mom. They wouldn’t hurt her.”
The conversation ended with Claire promising to “check in” with Brandon, a hollow assurance that felt more like a dismissal. I felt utterly alone.
I left the house, the silence of their refusal echoing in my ears, the sight of Eleanor’s withered form burned into my memory. I drove to a cheap motel five miles away, unable to return to my own home while Eleanor was trapped.
That night, alone in the motel room, I could barely sleep. Every creak of the building, every passing car, was a reminder of my failure.
Two days later, Claire called me back. Her voice was different. Tense.
“Dad,” she started, without preamble. “I need to tell you something. It’s… crazy.”
“What is it?” I asked, my heart pounding.
“I had a dream,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “About Mom. She was in a dark room, dimly lit. And this… this thing was there.”
I held my breath. “What thing?”
“It was shadowy, formless, but I could feel it, Dad,” she continued, a tremor in her voice. “It was consuming her. Just… drinking her away. And she was screaming, but there was no sound.”
She paused, then took a shaky breath. “It felt so real. The shadows swirled around her, reaching out like cold fingers. And then… she was gone. Just a hollow space.”
A shiver traced its way down my spine. “Claire. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”
The conviction in her voice was stark. “I know, Dad. I didn’t believe you. But that dream… it felt like a warning.”
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