Home Alone — A Short Horror Story

Careful who you let in…

Laying on the sofa in our living room, I watched my parents prepare to leave. I knew they were only going shopping, but I still hated them leaving me home alone. Nothing about our house made me feel comfortable. From the unusually loud clinks and groans to the eerie dark passageways, the house screamed haunted.

“Okay honey,” my mom said as she strolled past me towards the front door, stirring me from my thoughts, “We’re headed out. Be back soon!”

“Okay mom,” I said, getting up to hug her goodbye.

My dad nodded at me before saying, “Don’t throw any parties while we’re out!”

“Of course not, dad,” I said as I rolled my eyes.

After they closed the door, I locked it and knelt on the sofa to look outside. They reversed out of the driveway and headed down the street. As they grew further away, my anxiety played with me.

I sat on the sofa, motionless, trying to make myself small. I heard the movements of the house as it seemed to be anticipating my first move. Little did it know I never planned to leave the sofa until my parents were back.

However, after several minutes of boredom, I shook off my ridiculous thoughts, repeating to myself that houses weren’t haunted. Summoning all my bravery, I stood up and crept to the television, turning it on. It blared static to which I fumbled the remote to quiet. I stood frozen for a moment, waiting for the house to respond.

It didn’t.

I crept back to the sofa and sat down. A loud bang struck my ear and I screamed in fear. It came from somewhere inside the house. I remained still, anticipating the noise to happen again.

My eyes flicked to the kitchen, picturing the stove’s knives. I stood up again, listing for a while to confirm the house didn’t respond to my movements. Sneaking towards the kitchen, I screamed at the sound of the front door being pounded.

One more glance at the kitchen, I opted for the front door instead, hoping the presence of another would calm my house down. I looked through the peephole and saw my dad looking back.

I jumped back from the sight catching me offguard, but felt a wave of relief to see him.

Opening up the door, I said, “Hi dad.”

“Hi,” he replied, smiling.

“What are you doing back already?” I asked, surprised to see him and not my mother. They left just a few minutes ago. I figured he may have forgotten something. Or to my benefit, decided to stay behind.

“Oh, I just forgot to grab something.”

I nodded and let him in, locking the door behind me. He stood in the living room looking at a photo of our family, smiling.

“Before you go again,” I started, “Could you help me check out the house first? I heard a loud crashing sound on the other side and I don’t ’t know what it was.”

He nodded and gestured for me to lead the way.

I moved towards the kitchen, looking at the knives as I walked past. Rounding the bend, I walked through the guest bedroom as I scoured around for anything that looked out of place. My dad remained behind me, looking straight ahead, sometimes glancing out a window, as if he cared little for my unsettled mind. For me, it helped tremendously for him to be here.

Heading to the hallway, I entered my room on the right. Immediately, I noticed the stack of comic books on the floor, which were previously on my nightstand.

“Problem found,” I informed my dad in the hallway. “Guess gravity eventually pulled these down.”

I bent over to pick them up when my phone rang. Looking at the caller ID to see it was my mom, I answered it.

“Hello?” I said.

“Hi Jack,” said what sounded like my dad, “What ice cream did you say you wanted again?”

I froze as I peered at the man in the hallway. He smiled and gazed directly at me.

“Dad?” I asked on the phone.

“Yeah it’s me. You okay?”

I dropped my phone and stood up, staring at the doppelgänger. His smile sent shivers down my spine. It wasn’t until he brandished a kitchen knife that I screamed.

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