The Window

A short story written by:

Chase Merkley

The thunder strikes the sky of the night when the van drives up to the house. The driver door opens as well as the passenger side door.

"Taylor, did you get Casey's message?" Taylor mom asks while she finishes up the dishes. No answer comes from Taylor because she is in her room with the door shut at the other side of the house.

"She can't hear you, she is all up in her own world in her room," Taylor's father says sitting on the couch with the news on the television and the newspaper in his hands with his coffee right by his side.

"Oh ha ha Jim," she says walking in the living room.

"You girls are weird," he says flipping the newspaper.

"Well guys are more weird and more lazy. Well, I'm about to go to bed. I just have to wait for-" the doorbell rings before she could finish her sentence. "Never mind, I guess she's here," she says walking towards the door. "Taylor! Katie's here!"

Taylor, with her blonde hair, runs out of her room and cuts her mom off to answer the door. She opens it and Katie is standing there with her mom behind her.

"Katie!" Taylor screams.

"Taylor!" She says as they grab hands.

They jump up and down and scream while their moms just look at each other with confusion on their faces. Taylor and Katie run to Taylor's room.

"Well hello Vonessa," Taylor's mom, Carol, says when she invites her in her home.

"Hello Carol, but I really got to get going home. I got to get up pretty early to take Chris to work. His first job, he is working at Wendy's."

"Well that is exciting for him. I hope he likes it up there."

"Yeah, I think he will. Well, you can keep her if you want, but I'm going to get going." They both laugh and Carol waves Vonessa bye as she walks off to the van. Carol shuts the door and walks back in the living room where her husband is.

"To bad Lauren couldn't come," Taylor said as she jumps on the bed.

"She got grounded and that's why she couldn't come," Katie says sitting on the ground right by the bed watching the television.

"Wait wait, what did she do to get grounded?" Taylor says sitting up.

"He changed her report card. She is so dumb," she says as they both laugh.

"Oh man, that is awesome! We should prank call her," Taylor says laughing more.

"You really want to?" Katie says.

"Well, I don't know. I mean, she is grounded-"

"Her parents are gone. She is alone in the house. We should totally do it!"

"Alright, let's do it."

Lauren's telephone rings while she is putting up some ice cream. The phone rings again until she gets to it.

"Hello," she says walking towards her living room.

Taylor in a scary voice says, "Can you come out to play?"

"Who is this?"

"Can you come out to play?" Katie holds her mouth to not bust out laughing. Taylor tells her to be quiet as she smiles.

"I'm going to call the cops if you don't me who you are," she says freaking out. Taylor hangs up the phone.

The two girls just start laughing as much as they could breathe out of their lungs.

"OH my God! We have to do that again!" Katie says dialing the number again.

"Ok ok, just be quiet."

Lauren's phone rings again. She looks at the phone then looks around her house. She picks it up slowly.

"Hello?"

"Can you come out to play?"

"What do you want?"

"Can you come out to play?"

Lauren hangs up the phone. The two girls start laughing again. When they finish, Taylor's phone rings.

"Hello," Taylor says looking at Katie.

"Taylor, its Lauren. Have you been calling me? I've been getting these freaky phone calls."

"I have no idea what your talking, " she says smiling looking at Katie

"There is also a man outside my window looking at me."

Taylor stops laughing.

"What did you just say Lauren?"

"I've already called the cops. I don't know what to do. I'm so scared. My dad's phone wont answer!"

"Lauren, just calm down. He is still out there?"

"Let me go check," she says and puts down the phone.

"Katie, Lauren says there is a guy looking through her window."

"Its all good. She'll be fine."

"Taylor, are you still there," Lauren says.

"Yeah," she says.

"I have to get out of here, my front door is open."

"Oh my God, get out of the house right now!"

The phone goes dead.

"Hey! Taylor! She is probably pranking us now. She probably knew it was us from the beginning," Katie says calming her down.

"Yeah. Yeah...maybe your right."

The next morning they wake up to see the news on from the television they left on. The news reporter sends chills through Taylor's spine to what the reporter says.

"Last night, I young girl by the name of Lauren Faris was murdered last night in her home. She was seventeen years old. The funeral shall be held this Thursday at nine. If you would like any more information on this story, just go to-" Taylor stops listening and looks at the phone.

That night she comes home from Lauren's house to give her regards to the family. She walks in her room and hears her phone ringing. She runs to it and sees that Lauren's cell is trying to reach her. She starts to get confused.

"Hello?"

"Can you come out to play?"

"Who is this? Lauren?"

"I'm going to kill you," the man says and hangs up the phone. Taylor turns and looks out her window. Thunder strikes.