He Thought He Saw – Part 28

Woken from a sound sleep, Jordan his horrified to find that the frost and ice are creeping into her room. She runs the safest place she can think of—the den were Brian is sleeping. She startles him awake when she flings herself under the covers.

“Jordan, what’s wrong?”

“Ice!”

“What are you talking about?” He lifted the blankets, talking to the top of her head.

“There’s ice trying to get in my room. It was coming around the window frame. They’re trying to get us!” Her eyes met his, pleading. “I’m so scared! It tried to get me.”

He wanted to tell her it was her imagination and that everything would be all right, but he knew that wasn’t the case. The attacks had been less than subtle and decidedly specific.

“Do you want me to go look?”

“No! Stay here! It will get you instead.”

“Jordan, our parents are up there. Aren’t you worried about them?”

She didn’t respond, but Brian sensed she hadn’t thought of that. So far, they’d been the targets, but what if that changed? Were their parents safe? Could they count on that?

“We at least have to check on them,” Brian told her. “We can’t stay here and do nothing. If the ice is coming in, maybe our folks can help. Your dad was pretty kick ass at the fire.”

“I’m so scared!”

“I know. But I’m not leaving you down here alone and I’ve got to at least check on my mom. She can’t see. How would she even know something was wrong?”

Jordan could understand the logic of that. She didn’t like it, but she couldn’t leave a blind woman helpless and in danger. She sat up, pulling her robe closer around her. Her bunny slippers seemed oddly ridiculous under the circumstances.

Brian pulled on his sweater and a pair of heavy socks. He’d packed a telescoping baton his father had given him for his birthday. He took it out of his backpack, opening it. If there were ice creatures or some other creepy thing in the house, he wanted to be armed. With Jordan following him, he headed to the stairs.

Jordan stopped Brian with a hand on his arm. She reached into the closet and pulled out a baseball bat. Brian hid a smile. How often had he seen horror movies where the gutsy young woman went after the serial killer with a bat? Of course, it usually ended badly for the gutsy young woman. He pushed that idea from his mind. He couldn’t think of the possibility of anything happening to Jordan.

He led the way up the stairs, warily approaching her bedroom door. The upstairs hallway was much colder than downstairs. Wind whistled under her door, chilling their feet. Brian and Jordan exchanged a look. Jordan bit her lower lip, holding it between her teeth. She nodded, eyes wide. Brian reached for the doorknob. It was so cold, it burned his hand. Turning it quickly, he released it and pushed the door open. Ice coated the inside and outside of Jordan’s windows. Frost crept across the windowsill and down the wall, advancing quickly into her room. Brian didn’t like the odds if frost creatures attacked them inside.

“Go check on your folks,” he whispered.

“What about you?”

Brian closed the door. “I’m going to check on my mom. Then we’re going to see what we can do about getting some heat in this house.”

Jordan nodded sharply and moved to her parents’ room. Brian went to the guest room at the other end of the hall. The doorknob felt fine when he touched it, not the burning cold of Jordan’s room. His mother was sound asleep. There was no frost on her windows, except the amount one could expect with an ice storm going on outside. He shut the door quietly, heading back down the hall. Jordan met him at the top of the stairs, directly across from her room.

“They’re fine. I woke Dad.”

Moments later, her father joined them. In his robe and slippers, he still looked commanding. Brian was glad he was on their side. Heath opened Jordan’s door and walked in. Hands on hips, he looked around.

“This won’t do,” he remarked calmly. “Get towels and blankets,” he told the children.

“Do you think that will do any good?” Brian asked him. He followed Jordan to the linen cupboard in the hallway.

“Can’t hurt. I wish I had heat.”

“I have candles, Dad. And we have some cans of Sterno in the pantry.”

“You and Brian go get those and I’m going to see if I can block some of this with towels. Try not to wake your mothers.”

© 2016 

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