Was this her imagination running wild, or had she seen something truly awful? Either way, Chloe was terrified, and I couldn’t ignore it.
I stood, scooping her into my arms. “Okay, okay.
Chloe buried her face in my shoulder, clinging to me as I carried her toward the door.
Lily turned, her brow furrowed. “Is everything okay?”
“She’s not feeling well,” I said quickly, avoiding her gaze. “I’m so sorry, but we’ll have to take a rain check on dinner.”
“Oh, no!
Is she alright?” Lily asked, concern etched on her face.
“She will be. I’ll call you later,” I mumbled, heading out the door.
On the drive to my mom’s house, Chloe sat quietly in the back seat, her knees tucked under her chin.
“Sweetheart,” I said gently, glancing at her in the rearview mirror. “Are you sure about what you saw?”
“I know what I saw, Daddy. They were real.”
My stomach churned. By the time I pulled into my mom’s driveway, my mind was racing.
I kissed Chloe’s forehead, promising her I’d be back soon, and told my mom I needed to run an errand.
“What’s going on?” my mom asked, eyeing me curiously.
“Just… something I need to check out,” I said, forcing a smile.
I drove back to Lily’s with my heart pounding. Could Chloe have been right? The idea felt ridiculous, but her fear was too raw to dismiss.
When Lily opened the door, she looked puzzled.
I hesitated, trying to sound casual. “She’ll be fine.
Hey, uh, would you mind if I played your old console for a bit? I, um… need to relax. It’s been years since I’ve touched one.”
Lily raised an eyebrow.
“That’s random, but sure. It’s in my room.”
I forced a chuckle and headed down the hallway. My hands shook as I reached for the closet door.
Slowly, I slid it open.
And there they were.
Four heads stared back at me. One was painted like a clown, its grin twisted and unnatural. Another was wrapped in tattered red fabric, its expression distorted.
I took a step closer, my heart hammering.
Reaching out, I touched one. It was soft. Rubber.
They weren’t heads at all.
They were Halloween masks.
Relief flooded through me, but it was quickly followed by guilt. I closed the closet and returned to the kitchen, where Lily handed me a mug of coffee.
“You okay?” she asked, tilting her head.
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “I need to tell you something.”
Her arms crossed.
“This sounds serious.”
I nodded, shifting uncomfortably. “It’s about Chloe. She was scared earlier.
Really scared. She said she saw… heads in your closet.”
Lily blinked, her expression unreadable. “Heads?”
“She thought they were real.
I didn’t know what else to do, so after I dropped her off at my mom’s, I came back and, uh… I looked in your closet.”
Lily’s mouth fell open. “You went through my closet?”
“I know. It was wrong.
But she was so terrified, and I needed to make sure she was safe.”
Lily stared at me for a moment before bursting into laughter. “She thought they were real? Oh my gosh.” She wiped her eyes, but her laughter faded as she saw the worry in my face.Continue reading…
