SLAMMING MY HANDS over my ears I asked, “Who picked this movie?”
My mother grabbed my arm and screamed as Courtney dipped under the covers screaming, “Turn it off! Turn it off!”
I frantically searched for the remote. When I found it, I turned off the TV and threw the remote across the room. “Mom. Why would you pick Pet Sematary?”
She shrugged and made a face. “I don’t know. I thought it would be kind of fun to watch a scary movie.”
Courtney threw a pillow at my mom. “You ass. That scared the piss out of me.”
I laughed and reached into the bowl of popcorn. My hand stopped at my mouth when I thought I heard a baby crying.
I looked around. “Do you hear that?”
“The sounds of my heart beating rapidly? Yes. I hear that.” Courtney said as she pushed the covers away and stood up. She headed toward the bathroom and stopped. She cocked her head and looked back at us. “Is that a…baby crying?”
My mom got out of bed. “Nonsense. You’re both hearing things.” She walked up to Courtney and stopped. She leaned forward like she was trying to concentrate.
I heard it again. Both of them turned me. “Do you have baby monitor already, Liza?” Courtney asked.
I slowly shook my head and whispered, “No.”
I was about to speak when there was a knock at the door. More like a bang. The baby got louder. We all screamed as my mom and Courtney ran and jumped into the bed.
“What the fuck?” Courtney said as she grabbed onto me.
My heart pounded and I tried to take deep breaths. The crying got louder as the doorbell rang. Turning to my mom, I whispered, “What if someone needs help?”
My mother eyed the bedroom door. “Do y’all keep a loaded gun in the house?”
I reached around my mother and pulled out the side drawer. My mother took the handgun and stood up. “Just in case. Let’s all go down.”
Courtney let out a nervous laugh and said, “Um, hell no.”
The sounds of a baby crying again made me jump.
“Someone might need help.” My mother said.
Courtney shook her head. “It’s called 911.”
The doorbell rang again and there was more pounding at the door. We all screamed.
Signing my mother said, “Oh, this is insane. We’re just scared because of the stupid movie.”
My mother headed to the hallway, and Courtney and I followed. Walking down the stairs, my mother called, “Coming! One moment while I take the safety off of my gun!”
Courtney whispered, “Nice. If they are in trouble do you think they’ll stay now?”
We reached the front door and I grabbed onto my mother’s arm as she looked out the peephole. “I don’t see anyone.”
Courtney looked out the window. “There’s no one out there.
The sound of a baby crying again made us all jump. My mother took the safety off of the handgun and nudged me back. She began to turn the doorknob.
“Mom, maybe we should…”
Courtney grabbed me and pushed me behind her as my mother opened the door. Standing off to the side, I couldn’t see anything. I tried to peer around the door, but Courtney was blocking me. My mother opened the door more and said, “Oh. My. God. Call 911 now, Courtney, and get Liza upstairs.”
Courtney peered around the door. “Dear God,” she whispered.