For the past three days, all of us were playing “HIDE AND SEEK” non f*cking stop
The next step is unclear to me. The last twenty-four hours have completely flipped my world on its head. All order has been shattered in our household. My wife has gone missing, and I really hope she comes back soon.
All right, I'll begin at the very beginning.
With our two small children, my wife and I began a game of hide-and-seek. But they're not quite old enough to conceal well; moreover, they never change their hiding place. So, one of us parents may enjoy hiding while the others play seek and find.
Just by remaining still in a dark room, I have managed to evade my wife and children. It's incredible that our brains are hardwired to detect motion. My wife starts to grow craftier, but we can't pull off anything too complex as the kids aren't patiently waiting for us to duck.
We planned to play after work on Tuesday night. First, my wife chose to conceal herself. In the basement office, I counted down from ten while the children hid.
"Ready or not, here I come!"
With boundless energy, the children bolted from the room. I trailed after, cautiously attempting to discern my wife's hiding spot. So that we wouldn't waste time or energy searching in vain, I would frequently attempt to guess which room she was hiding in before guiding the youngsters in a more cautious direction.
Upon entering the living room, I caught sight of her. Her elbow protruded slightly from under the sofa as she hunched over the couch. The children were so preoccupied in inspecting the kitchen to even notice her.
I patiently awaited their return. I patiently awaited their gleeful squeals as they made their way back inside and around the couch.
Well, that wasn’t the case. I walked bumbling over to the sofa.
She vanished.
Oh, really? I could have only noticed a tag or protruding object. Perhaps her hiding place had been relocated. This is nothing new. I said before that she's better at this than I am.
Thus, we proceeded. We looked in all the typical places: beneath the garage shelves, behind the kitchen door, and even in the lower cupboards.
None of those places had her.
Perhaps she ascended the stairs. Although she is a stealthy crawler, I hadn't heard her ascend the steps. Having the children with me, I strolled around the corridors. "Ninaie," I shouted out in a really melodic tone. "We're going to find you!"
Got it.
The door to our bedroom was ajar. Additionally, behind the blankets, there was a long, Nina-shaped mass. "Let's check Mom and Dad's bedroom!" I told the children. Sound of their clomping feet as they raced at my heels.
After turning on the lights, I snatched the comforter's hem and ripped it off.
My spirits plummeted.
The bed had no one on it.
Looking down, I was perplexed. It was probably just coiled up in an unusual way. I thought I saw a human beneath there, though. Skeletal outline of a human being in a foetal posture, with curled back, bowed legs, etc.
I turned around and left the room. I escorted the children downstairs. "Nina," I yelled out. Nothing leads us to you. Leave it be.
Completely null.
The children's attention waned. They raced into the living room and immediately started playing with their toy vehicles. Right before I was going to yell out to her again, I saw that the chain on the lock for the basement door was unhooked.
I see.
The closer I got, the faster my heart was pounding. I sensed her presence on the opposite side. Almost ready to spring out at me and sever my heart. She had experience with that.
I opened the door after taking a deep breath.
She vanished.
From the basement, moist air rose. The light was switched on by me. "Nina?" A cry escaped me.
No response.
When I looked down, I saw that the children had stopped playing. "Anyway, you have no business hiding down there. Using these stairs is risky business. Completely null. I turned to shut the door behind me, but then I noticed something.
African-American mane. About halfway down the flight of stairs, peering through the opening.
She's taken refuge beneath the staircase.
I stepped down. The wood creaked under my weight. The hair glistened below me in the dim yellow light. I continued down the steps, avoiding stepping on her hair, until I was standing on the concrete floor.
I whirled around
"Aha!"
But the space under the stairs was empty.
My blood ran cold. "Nina, this isn't funny!" I shouted. “Stop playing games with me!”
A footstep sounded behind me. I whirled around.
The naked bulb in the ceiling only lit half the basement. The other half, where we had rows and rows of storage boxes, was in near-total darkness.
But...
I squinted, trying to make it out. In the murky darkness... behind a stack of boxes, in the corner... I thought I could see her standing there.
I could only see her in my peripheral vision. Like how you can only see dim stars when you’re not looking right at them, because of how your optic cells are arranged. I focused on one of the storage boxes, really stared at it; and when I did, I realized I could see her pale calves, extending up into the darkness.
And, as I stood there, I realized I could hear her breathing.
"I can see you there,” I said, my voice wavering. “Why are you being so weird? The youngsters aren't even playing anymore. So come out. Please?"
Deep in the pit of my stomach, I felt there was something wrong. Something horribly wrong. So I chickened out.
"I'm going upstairs. You can join me when you're ready."
I went towards the stairs. But halfway there, the lamp flickered—and went out.
Total blackness engulfed me. I reached my hands out, hopelessly searching into the darkness. They just fell on air. I desperately pawed through the air, seeking for something, anything.
My fingers hooked in something. Hair.
My hands were pulled back as I let out a scream. After that, I bolted into the night without looking, but someone glared at me. I pushed into it, heard a low thud, and continued going. The railing of the stairway smacked me square in the chest. I gasped for oxygen as I made my way to the stairs, which I hurriedly climbed.
After that, I hurriedly went to get my children and closed the entrance to the basement.
That was all. However, the terrifying idea remained in my thoughts even as I embraced them. The felt hair was above my eye level. At a height of around six or six and a half feet.
Nina stands at a modest 5 feet and 2 inches (or shorter).
Officers combed the whole residence. This is not my wife.
Within a three-mile radius, they conducted patrols and a search of the backyard. They failed to get any results. She seemed to have vanished from existence.
With the exception.
As I turned over in bed last night, I felt what felt like my fingertips making contact with something.However, I am very miserable. Even my own rationality has lost all credibility with me. As far as I can tell, nothing is genuine.
One thing, nevertheless, is certain in my mind.
My life's love, Nina, has left us.
I made every effort to locate her after she had gone missing for three days. To place MISSING posters on telephone poles, I stapled them. I contacted loved ones she may have run to for help. Despite the fact that her vehicle remained in the driveway. Regardless, I had a feeling she was hiding out in the home. I carried on as if this were any other typical case of a missing individual.
However, matters declined further.
I got dressed on the morning of day 7 after opening our wardrobe. I caught sight of something in the corner of my eye as I searched the hanging shirts for my purple button-down. Under Nina's flannel top, there was something beige-colored sticking out.
From what little I could see, it appeared to be a finger, but I couldn't be sure.
My entire body tensed up. My pulse rate increased. Upon catching sight of it, I noticed a glimmer of motion in the limp, drooping sleeve. It felt as if something were there, climbing up and tucking itself farther into the shirt.
With a bound, I swung my arms inside the garments. Floated them side to side. Still, not a single thing. I hurled clothes on the ground after ripping them from the hangers, my heart pounding in my ears. I continued until every article of clothing was piled high on the floor.
However, there was no one in the closet.
I felt like a lunatic as I stood there, panting. It seemed too good to be true. I had to have Even when I shut my eyes, the sleeve would still be visible. Of a force drawing upwards into it again. Also, it turned my stomach.
For a little period of time, I managed to maintain composure. The pattern of sleeping, eating, working, picking up kids, spending time with them, and then going to bed persisted. I made it a point to reassure them. I reassured them that everything would be OK. Answering their inquiries about Mommy's whereabouts and when she will be home was challenging, but I did my best to reassure them. We were all three committed to this. Having one other was a blessing.
Yet, the calm did not last.
After the kids went to bed, I found myself engrossed in TV. While getting another drink, I stood up and noticed an object sticking out of the wall near the stairs.
That was on the second set of stairs. There was only a small black dot, and my brain understood it shouldn’t have been there. Explain it to me. The sounds on the TV grew more distant as I stood up and drew forward, fixating on it. Was something dropped by the children, like a sock or food?
I drew nearer—and suddenly stood still.
Yes, I did notice it. The bow's border, the glossy black satin... Nina wore it as a high heel. Now that I was getting closer, I could make out a small piece of flesh protruding from the shoe. Additionally, a shadow that stretches across the wooden surface.
There she is, standing.
"J—Nina you?" With my voice scarcely audible, I inquired.
Total absence of sound.
Gazing intently at the sneaker, I inched closer. There, on the tip of her little foot protruding beyond the rounded corner, is a little patch of pale skin. Using the wall as a prop, I leaped out into the foyer as quickly as possible.
Completely null.
On the stairs, nobody was seen.
I receded. I was lightheaded. In all likelihood, it was all in my head. So far, I've had three cocktails... But I knew in my heart that it wasn't a mirage. I also couldn't have predicted that Nina would be in the basement that evening. Alternatively, sensing that hair in the dark. Certainly, I didn't believe I was insane. On the other hand, if I were insane, I doubt I'd realise it was myself.
The incident was pushed from my thoughts. Ought should have done it. Britnney and Ben were counting on me to maintain my composure. This was the second parent they had lost. It would be disastrous for them to lose both of them. As a result, I poured my heart and soul into being there for them, providing them with support and love.
Two weeks ago, though, that dreadful night occurred.
As Britnney entered my room, she proclaimed, "Daddy, I'm scared."
I was on the verge of eleven. Much past Britnney’s slumber. The thought of waking her up for school in the morning made me moan since I knew she would be grumpy. Tell me why you’re worried. As I got out of bed, I inquired.
"Do you know what lurks beneath my bed?"
My cheeks were drenched with blood.
Words like those wouldn't normally terrify a parent. Under the bed is a constant source of terror for children. The cliche-ness of everything is palpable. However, my heart sank like an anchor into my gut as I went through everything with Nina.
"I detected its respiration."
Even more so, my heart broke. "Alright, darling," I mustered up the courage to say, putting a fake grin on my face. "Allow me to look into it."
We strolled together to her bedroom. In my ears, my heart raced. I stopped short of the doorway as we approached it. "Sure, I'll meet you in your brother's room. And I will investigate it.
She briskly made her way to his room, leaving me all by myself.
There appeared to be no problem at first. The mermaid nightlight at her nightstand cast a soft glow that allowed me to discern much of the room. But there was complete darkness in the area under the bed.
My heart sank.
As a next step, I knelt down gently.
There was total blackness beneath the bed. However, as soon as I bowed my head to the floor, I could see clearly across. All of her plush toys and dolls are piled up in one big heap. Her unicorn poster’s base. The faded verdant carpet.
I started to stand up.
And froze.
No. Very strongly disagree.
Hair was present. Protruding from the bed's edge.
There I lay, paralysed. I saw swirling black dots. As I fixed my gaze on the hair, it remained still, refusing to budge or go away. Lying on the bed, is Nina...? I inhaled sharply. Dizziness set in as my heart raced.
I pulled myself up slowly, holding my breath. Over the edge of the bed, I peered. It all started with the sheets, then Britney's pillow, and finally—
Oh my goodness.
Resting on the bedside table was Britnney's beloved Frozen doll, Anna. In the low light, her hair drooped over the edge and appeared nearly black.
I snatched the naive doll and set it on the cushion. Then I snatched the duvet cover and gave it a good shake before placing it on the bed and giving it a good ironing. These wretched youths. Someday it will cause a heart attack, I assure you. Call out, Britney! Turning around, I made the call. "The f— in your room—"
Breathing became difficult for me.
The evaporator. Close to the ground. In the shadows, between the metal planks, two eyes shimmered.
Screaming was something I was prepared for. To run. I was sick and tired of whatever it was that was haunting me. En route to the vent, I squatted down. What's up? It was a scream coming out of me. The metal reverberated my voice. "Return here! Nina is asking, "What the fuck?!?"
Gentle pounding noises. The further it wriggled its way inside the home. Next, there was silence.
A shiver ran down my spine as I exhaled. My heart thumping, I rose slowly to my feet. I emerged into the corridor.
Then I became aware of the cries.
I was more terrified by the sound of my children’s screams than by the sight of that creature in the air vents. My entire body was on high alert as I hurried down the corridor. Then Ben! Britney! My feet were hammering beneath me as I yelled.
Opened to Ben's chamber was the door.
I lost it within. Ben, who had only recently awakened, was intimidating Britnney. Their gazes were fixed on the area behind me. Peering into the darkness from behind the bedroom door. I quickly turned the key and flung the door open with my grip on the knob.
I glanced over in time to witness a strand of jet-black hair reappear in the air vent.
Please, just go on. We're leaving this place. We sprinted for the stairs as I snatched up Ben and Britnney's hand. As if it were following us in the air ducts, a metallic thump resounded through the walls around us. He was frantically attempting to block our escape.
We did, however, reach the vehicle. Our tyres screeched as we accelerated out of the driveway.
My house went on the market two days ago. The current situation is intolerable. Nina isn't the current resident of my house; I just do not know who or what it is. My wife has departed.
The real estate agent was apprised of all the events by me. Giving this residence to another family just so they could deal with this issue made me feel bad. However, her expression was one of complete bewilderment.
May be I even am.
However, I now know that my children have also seen it. I overheard. I could feel it slithering and creeping about in our house.
Consequently, I have no other means of alerting you than this. Looking for a place to call home? They find a white house in Tskaltubo, Russia, with burgundy shutters, hidden behind a picket fence on a dead end street...
Leave it at that.
