Don't rest in peace

Late night on a Saturday, huddled in blankets, lights out. A warm cup of coffee on the table, the television blasting. It rains outside, the soothing click clack click clack of the raindrops hitting the skylight soothes me.

My phone rings, disrupting my peace.

"Heyyyyy," Jayla says, slurring her words.

"I'm not coming."

"Hahahahahaha- hey! Mark! Come say hi to Cassidy!"

"Jay, no. Don't you dare bring Mark into this!"

"Hey sister," Mark says, also slurring his words.

"Don't come home too late," I say, rolling my eyes and flicking through channels.

A knock on my door interrupts Mark's protests.

"You got a boyfriend over?" Jayla shouts.

"What? No! I'm not expecting anyone."

"Oooooooo, should I get the fire extinguisher? Cuz your pants are on fire, liar liar liar," Mark jokes. Jayla bursts into laughter.

"Not funny!" I shout into the phone.

"Oooooo, what're you going to do about it?"

"Ugh. You two are so annoying. Go get drunk or something, if I'm lucky, maybe you'll get into a car crash or something. Then you wouldn't annoy me so much."

"Awwww someone's grumpy," Mark says, and Jayla laughs.

"See ya Cass!" Jayla says. I hang up the phone, rolling my eyes.

The knock comes again.

I get up, frustrated. "I don't want your lame house insurance!"

The knocking starts again, getting faster each second.

"Stop it or I'll call the cops!" I yell. The knocking stops.

"Finally," I grumble.

I have peace again. The television flickers. The raindrops fall harder. I look at the clock. It's nearly 12am. Maybe I should turn in for the night. I don't expect Mark and Jayla to actually come home early. No, I'd expect them to come home the next day or so. That's what they usually do anyways. My best friend and brother, partying together at a bar. Every single Saturday. Usually I'd come along, have a drink or two, then leave. But today I decided to stay home. What's the point in getting ready, dressing fancy, blowing money when all you're going to do is spend a few bucks on a margarita?

I feel myself drifting in and out of sleep. It's only the presence of something else- someone else, that wakes me up.

"Hello?" a small voice says through the door.

I get up almost immediately. I go over to the door and peer through the keyhole. No one is there.

Chills run through me. Maybe it was the television, maybe I'm imagining things. Worse yet, maybe it was those darn kids always spray painting the halls and playing pranks.

"Please, I lost my mommy," the small voice comes again. "Can you help me find her?"

I bite my tongue. There was no one outside my door.

"Please?"

I grow anxious. Should I let the kid in?

"Damn it," I say, swinging the door open.

No one stands outside. I look around. No one in the halls, nothing.

"Stupid kids," I say, slamming the door shut.

"Hello?"

Maybe I am going crazy. I turn around and see-

no one.

No one stands before me.

"Cassidy!" the small voice cries again.

"Stop!" I shout, covering my ears and breaking down on the floor. "Stop it! Stop teasing me like this!!"

"You have to help me!" a new voice says. This one sounds eerily similar.

"Help, help us!" both of them shout.

"No, no, no," I say, panicking. I grab my phone off the table and dial Mark's number.

"C'mon Mark, pick up!" I say worriedly, praying to my phone. HE doesn't pick up.

I then dial Jayla's number, but she also doesn't pick up.

I dial them again and again, but they still don't pick up.

"Screw this," I whisper, grabbing my car keys and racing out the door.

I start up my car and swerve out the driveway. I'm going way past the speed limit, when another car comes colliding into mine.

The crash throws my head into the steering wheel. I hear the car alarm go off. Smoke comes out from the engines, and I gingerly lift my head up. Blood stains my fingertips as I touch my forehead to see what the accident caused.

"Shit," I curse. "This was a new car."

"Hello?" the voice says, coming from my backseat.

"Wha-" I turn around to see a small girl sitting there. She can't be older than four.

"How did you get in here?" I ask.

"We didn't," the other voice says, and I instantly see a boy sitting in the other seat, his eyes red.

"What do you want from me?" I shout. The boy winces. He looks so familiar! I just can't place where I've seen him before, if even at all. He must be around six. Where on earth could I have seen such young children?

"It's your fault," the girl whispers, pointing at me.

"What? What's my fault?"

"This," the boy says, pointing at the other car.

"Who are you?"

They don't answer. I unbuckle my belt and go towards the wreck of the car. I know this car.

"Oh no, oh no no no no no," I mutter, horrified.

Jayla sits in the driver's seat, unconscious. Mark sits in the passenger seat, his eyes wide open, and blood red.

"Your fault!" the boy says, standing in the middle of the road.

It clicks. I look wildly from the boy to Mark, the girl to Jayla.

"What? What's happening?? Who are you?! What did you do to them???"

"Your fault, your fault!" the girl wails, pointing at Jayla, then me.

"Mark?"

"Your fault," the boy whispers.

"No, no. Are they dead?" I ask, pleadingly. "Don't let them be. Please."

The girl wails again, but the boy shakes his head. His eyes go black.

"Your turn."

I look at him, horrified. But in the second it took for me to blink, both the girl and the boy are gone. Then I hear the truck skidding across the wet road.

"This is what you get," Mark's voice says, filled with spite.

I barely have time to scream before the truck runs into me, and everything goes black.