At 8 p.m., the lights began flickering. From the back room came the sound of footsteps. _Tap... tap... tap... tap..._ They sounded like a little child walking, but the atmosphere was terrifying.
Aziz opened the door. Kiko was no longer on the chair. The doll was in the middle of the floor, facing the wardrobe.
In the wardrobe's mirror, there was a reflection. It wasn't Aziz's. It was the reflection of a little girl. Long hair. White dress. Holding Kiko. The girl looked at Aziz through the mirror. She smiled, her teeth sharp and terrifying.
Aziz immediately shut and locked the door. He was frightened, uneasy, and trembling with terror. Aziz wasn't a coward, but he clearly wasn't ready to face the wandering spirit.
At 9 p.m., his phone rang. Rina was calling Aziz. Aziz answered in a trembling voice. "Hello?" he said. "Mr. Aziz... how's Kiko?" Rina asked. Aziz couldn't tell her the truth. "He's fine. Safe," he lied. "Thank goodness. Please watch him, Mr. Aziz. Don't let him go. Don't let him sleep alone," Rina said. "Why?" Aziz asked, confused. Rina was silent for three seconds. "Because if he sleeps alone... he'll look for a replacement."
_ click _ The call ended.
Aziz looked at the clock. It was 11 p.m. He decided to stay up all night. He turned on every light and sat in the living room with his four cats and Kiko.
At midnight, nothing happened. At 1 a.m., the cats began to grow restless. At 2 a.m., the lights went out.
Aziz reached for his phone and turned on its flashlight, leaving only the faint light from his phone. From the back room came the laughter of a little child. _Kikikik..._
Then came the sound of _scrape... scrape..._ Like a doll being dragged across the floor.
_Tap. Tap. Tap._ It was getting closer.
Aziz's phone died. The battery was dead. He was terrified, his heart pounding wildly as he felt something approaching him.
In the darkness, Aziz felt someone sit down beside him on the sofa. It was heavy. The smell of fish. The smell of wet earth.
A whisper in his ear. A child's voice: "Mr. Aziz... Kiko's sleepy. Come keep me company while I sleep..."
A small, cold hand touched Aziz's hand.
Ruby suddenly let out a loud cry. _MEOW!!!_ The lights came back on.
Kiko was still on the chair. But his position had changed. He was now facing Aziz. And on Kiko's lap... there was a lock of long black hair.
The front door was knocked on. _Knock knock knock._ It was 2:17 a.m.
"Mr. Aziz... it's Rina. I forgot something." A girl's voice came from outside the door.
Aziz walked toward the door on weak legs. His four cats followed behind him.
He opened the door because he knew a visitor had come.
Aziz looked around, but Rina was nowhere outside. There were only three wooden boxes on the porch. Aziz's heart pounded wildly with fear of the boxes. He didn't know what was inside them, and he didn't want to open them either. There could be something horrifying and dangerous inside. Aziz was nervous and anxious, and he had no idea what to do. He was already exhausted and couldn't breathe calmly. Each box had a piece of paper on it. _FOR MR. AZIZ. FROM KIKO'S FRIEND._
And from inside all three boxes... came the sound of scratching. Lots of it. All at once.
Behind Aziz, Kiko fell from the chair. _Thud._
The doll's head turned 180 degrees, facing Aziz. Its button mouth opened. From inside came a little child's voice: "Just three more, Mr. Aziz... then we can all play together..."
Aziz's phone, which had died earlier, lit up by itself. There was a new chat notification from Rina's number:
_"Thanks for agreeing to watch him, Mr. Aziz. My whole family will stop by your house tomorrow to hang out for a bit."_