Whispers on the Other Side

Zim heard whispers on the other side of the door as he put his key in the lock. He stopped. A chill crept down his back like tentacles from an icy jellyfish.

“What was that sound?”, He said to himself.

Zim checked his phone. The date, Tuesday, May 3rd. The time 4:30pm. No one was supposed to be home yet, especially on a Tuesday.

Pushing the fear back down his throat, he peered in the window looking for any clues to what made the sound. He saw nothing.

With great stealth, Zim backed away from the door and crouched. The whisper returned, a little louder this time. He made out what he thought was the word “Heezere”. Two questions flooded his mind. What’s a Heezere? And who is making that sound?

Needing more courage, Zim grabbed his phone and texted his mom. No answer. “Okay”, he thought, maybe she’s away from her phone. Next, he called his dad. Voicemail, “Argghh”. He was probably in a meeting. Surely his sister would respond, so he tried her Snapchat. Still no reply.

Panic tickled his bones.

Zim again pulled the key from his pocket and stepped forward to unlock the door.

“It was probably nothing”, he thought.

Zim stopped in his tracks. The door was ajar. When he got home it was locked. He was certain of it.

“Heezere. Heezere.”

The battle between curiosity and common sense waged inside. Common sense said RUN, but curiosity propelled him to walk through the door.

“Don’t go in. Don’t go in.” Zim screamed silently. But he had to.

As Curiosity landed the finishing blow, Zim opened the door.

SURPRISE!!!!!!

Shouts, confetti and balloons rained down on Zim as he passed the threshold.

“Happy birthday, Zim”, his friends said as his parents hugged him and brought him inside to enjoy some cake and ice cream.