Too Late

Ivy always wondered if she stayed because she loved him or if she stayed because she didn’t think she should leave. Was it better to doubt oneself or walk away and live a life without him? Turns out she didn’t have a choice. He left her, after five years, six months, and fourteen days together. He left her so he could find himself and really as it turns out he left her so he could find someone else.

Now she found herself in a new town, living in an old house that creaked anytime the wind blew and she wished she didn’t hate it. Ivy had thought that the move would help, that maybe she would actually get out of bed in the morning, go to work or even talk to people that had once made her laugh. Today she sat on her porch swing staring out at the bare trees, fall had come and knocked all the leaves. Ivy wrapped her sweater tighter around her, the coffee on the porch floor getting colder the longer she sat. The air was starting to get crisper, winter would inevitably be here whether it was wanted or not.

Inside the house somewhere Ivy’s phone rang, she barely moved her head as the last of the ringtone tapered out. Probably another spam call, no one she knew had called her in over a week and she couldn’t blame them. She had gone off the deep end when James had left. There it was, his name. She cringed outwardly and reached down to grab the coffee mug off the floor. The black liquid was bitter and lukewarm as she sipped it slowly. How much longer was this going to last? She sighed, looking out towards where her nearest neighbor would be, and wondered if they knew she had moved in. Somewhere a small bit of a walk away there was a lake, the realtor had told her that there was a boat out in the shed should she decide she wanted to go out there. A dock was shared between her and her neighbor, but with winter coming it was doubtful anyone would really want to go out on a lake with such weather.

The phone began to ring again and this time Ivy leaned forward and decided she would at least check. The wood floors creaked as she padded her way into the house, the screen door creaking as she opened it. The phone would stop ringing by the time she could get to it but she could at least see who it was that was calling.

She blinked, staring at the bright screen of the phone in her hand. There it was, a missed call, James. Why. Why now, why at all? It took every urge in her body not to slam the phone on the counter and scream. Instead, she placed it gently and walked away. He wasn’t supposed to have power over her anymore. Not anymore. She climbed the stairs, went into her bedroom, and climbed into bed after placing her coffee mug on the nightstand. Maybe she wouldn’t have to wake up.

Ivy shot up, sweat on her brow. Her forehead crinkled in confusion as she listened for the sound again. It sounded like someone slamming a door downstairs. Her sweater was hanging off her shoulder, her blankets damp from the heat of her body. Swinging her legs off the side of the bed she listened, had she dreamt it? She could have sworn it woke her up. The tips of her toes touched the cold hardwood floor of her bedroom. The stairs creaked with what sounded like footsteps climbing towards her. Ivy felt her heart rate quicken, she gripped the edge of her bed unsure of what to do. Her phone was downstairs, she glanced around the room and tried to decide on finding a weapon or hiding. Maybe both? She took the heavy lamp off her nightstand and moved to stand behind the door of her bedroom, trying to keep her breathing in check. Who would be in her house all the way out here? The footsteps had continued to right outside the door and so she held her breath. She looked down, trying to see the shadow of someone standing on the other side but there was nothing. Trying to hear anything from this side of the door, wondering who it was and what they wanted. Ivy closed her eyes, forehead crinkling, wanting to smack herself as she remembered she had fallen asleep with only her screen door closed. She had brought this upon herself even if she was in the middle of nowhere. Suddenly thinking it would probably be days before anyone found her body, wasn’t there a movie like this? Probably plenty of them with a similar plotline. A large thud against the door brought her back to the present, giving her a start. Gripping the lamp in her hands tighter she braced herself for whatever would be coming through the door. Then she heard it, her phone ringing downstairs. Footsteps moved away from her door and began to head back downstairs. Okay, so now what.

She lowered the lamp in her hands and stood there. She wasn’t someone who believed in having guns in the house and now it seemed like this was a pretty good reason. Half her stuff was still in boxes so most of her kitchen knives were still packed away. Okay moving to the middle of nowhere was starting to seem like a mistake. Ivy opened her bedroom door and peered out, listening. She heard nothing so she stepped out into the hallway. It was decided that she would go to the stairs and see if she could peek through the banisters into the next room, the layout was strange. The front door opened into a living room which could be seen from the kitchen. An attempt by the previous owner to make the house more open. Trying to tread lightly and avoid creaks on the steps, Ivy crouched on the third step down, ducking to peek out. All the way in the kitchen she could see her phone on the counter, aside from that there was no one she could see. She scanned the room again, thinking maybe they were hiding this time. She glanced back at where her phone was, could she make it? Ivy would have to walk the creaky steps do it but she guessed at this point it didn’t matter. Placing the heavy lamp on the landing she took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly. There was a creek behind her and that was enough to send her flying, it was a blur but she reached her phone which thankfully her car keys were close by too, and flew out the front door towards her car. Once inside she locked the doors and dialed.

She was scolded by the local cop, even though it was a safe area, falling asleep with your front door open was an invitation you shouldn’t be extending. He had arrived in twenty long minutes, she was sure he hadn’t taken it seriously enough which also felt like part of the movie plot.

“Sometimes older houses can play tricks on the mind,” he said, walking up the stairs to check the rest of the house.

Ivy rolled her eyes, “I don’t think that explains someone slamming into my door.”

He glanced at her as he reached the landing with hesitancy. Walking over to the only open door in the hallway he asked, “This your bedroom?”. Ivy nodded, arms hugging her body.

He announced himself the same way he did when he first entered the house, still not drawing his gun, and walked into the bedroom. He checked each space someone could hide including the adjoining bathroom. Then proceeded to check the other three bedrooms on the floor. When he was done they both walked back downstairs and he finished taking her statement.

“So what’s a young woman on her own like you need with all this space anyway?” he asked, closing his notepad. She was now really looking at him. He had to be in his mid-thirties, with dirty blond hair, green eyes. Not a bad-looking guy but certainly had the personality of a dung beetle.

“I was looking for some change and I got a good deal on the house, my friend knows the local realtor,” she remarked coolly, looking him in the eye. He absorbed the answer, studying her trying to make up his mind about something. His eyes scanned the room, the silence beginning to balloon.

“Well, I think you’ll be fine. Keep your door locked from now on,” he reached into his front jacket pocket pulling a business card. “If you need it, just don’t let this big old house scare you.”

Ivy took the card, wanting to punch the guy in the face but instead smiled, “Well gee thanks officer…” she glanced at the card to remind herself, “Miller. I will keep that in mind.”

She walked him to the front door, waving as he drove off and scowled when she closed the door to lock it.

The next day Ivy decided to walk her property, even walk down to the lake to see it. She inspected the shed out back and noted the realtor had been wrong, there was no boat. She stood there with a hand on the doorway, the musty smell of the shed making her sneeze. Turning on her heel she walked the pathway the realtor told her would lead her to the dock.

It was a cool day, she wore an oversized sweater and leggings today. Her boots crunched the leaves beneath her feet as she walked the pathway. The trees were becoming barer and the sun was hidden behind some clouds, but the fresh air felt great in her lungs. Her eyes moved over the landscape, her front yard was pretty open with a few trees surrounding it, most of the trees were behind. She followed the curve of the pathway and soon her house was out of view and she was among some scattered trees. From the distance, she could see some smoke through the leaves and she guessed her nearest neighbor was probably about a half-mile. As she moved down the gravel path Ivy noted that she didn’t see any animals, no birds, or squirrels not even the sound of any.

After about three minutes of walking there was a break in the trees and she could begin to see the shimmer of water. Unfolding her arms from her chest she picked up her pace a little and scanned looking for the dock. As she reached the lake, she finally could see the dock was about ten feet to her left so she began walking towards it. Glancing out over the water she could see there was a small rowboat floating a few ways out. Ivy’s brow furrowed and she squinted to see if she could make out someone in the boat. It looked empty. Boots thunked on the wooden dock as she crossed it until she reached the end of the dock. Now that Ivy stood on the dock she had a better look at the boat and she could tell it was definitely empty. Was it the boat that was supposed to be in her shed? Sighing she looked away and took in the view. Further out she could see what looked like a house on the other side of the lake. Footsteps on the dock captured her attention and she turned to look. There was no one there. Ivy’s arms fell to her side and her heart skipped a beat. She had very clearly just heard footsteps on the dock. She glanced around looking but seeing no one. She turned back to the dock and noticed wet boot prints on the wood coming up towards her. But where was the person who made them, were they hers? The boot prints were bigger than hers it couldn’t be...

A shriek filled the air making Ivy practically jump out of her skin. What the actual hell was going on, she screamed in her head almost screaming it out loud. She turned back facing the lake, the rowboat looked closer now.

She shook her head, putting her hands in the pockets of her cardigan.

“Do you see it?” something breathed in Ivy’s ear and this time she did scream out loud. Whirling around to see who spoke, she saw no one. Ivy began to feel lightheaded, she had no idea what was going on but she had no intention of staying to find out. Another shriek filled the air and Ivy started running. Her boots thunking on the wooden dock as she flew back towards her house, behind her she heard the sound of another set of boots thunking on the wood. As soon as her feet hit the soil, she felt something grab the back of the cardigan and she flew backward being dragged back up the dock. Hair in her eyes, screaming for help she flailed as she tried to free herself from whatever invisible force had hold of her. They stopped right at the edge of the dock, Ivy lay there looking at the sky trembling.

“I’ll show you.”

Suddenly she was thrown off the dock and Ivy braced for the cold water of the lake. It didn’t come, instead, she hit her head as she landed in the rowboat that must have drifted next to the dock. Groaning she tried to bring herself upright and as she yanked on the tangled cardigan she looked up and saw the empty dock. The rowboat began to float away and Ivy’s eyes darted around her looking for the oars.

“No! No, stop!” She yelled, scrambling to get to her feet. There were no oars and she was about to be stranded in this tiny boat with all this wild and confusing shit going on. Absolutely not. Ivy leaned out of the boat, trying to reach the edge of the dock her fingertips just barely touching the edge. If she leaned any further she would end up in the lake. Gripping the edge of the boat she pushed herself back in and panic began to really swell in her chest. She took her phone out of her pocket, unsure of who she would call. Taking a deep breath she sat there on the little bench, glancing back across the lake. The house she spotted earlier had a dock as well she could see, someone was standing on it. Ivy lifted her hand slowly and gave a small wave. It was very hard to tell who exactly could be standing on the dock, her eyesight was good but not that good.

What she could see was there was someone walking up behind the person standing on the dock, they were taller maybe even a little sturdier. A crack filled the air, overhead birds flew out of the trees surrounding the dock across the way. The figure standing at the edge of the dock fell forward into the water leaving the second figure standing there.

“What…” Ivy was completely confused by what she had just witnessed. Had she just witnessed...murder? Looking down at the phone in her hand she struggled to unlock it to dial. As she pressed the phone to her ear she looked up and saw the figure was gone. Frantically scanning, she couldn’t see where the person had gone. She hadn’t looked down for more than two seconds.

Ivy stammered as she explained the situation to the operator on the phone who told her she would be sending out a deputy. After hanging up she looked at the time, it was only two in the afternoon. All she could now was wait and if last night was any indication she would be waiting a long time. Turning to face back toward the front, there she was.

Blood staining a white turtleneck dress, a pale woman with long blonde hair and black eyes stared at Ivy.

“He’s coming for you,” the woman said.

Ivy’s vision swam as she blacked out.