“We died in this house five years ago,” Kiko continued. “A fire. During the rain. No one helped us.” Kiko shared information about the tragic incident that had happened back then.
Aziz thought. This house. His house. Before he bought it, the house had been empty for five years. They said it had been the site of a fire. Foolishly, Aziz had never found out whose house it had been or what had caused the fire. He had never asked what had sparked the raging flames that burned the place down. Thinking about it stressed him out. He was terrified and had no idea what to do. Something about the place felt frightening. Aziz realized he might have stumbled into a terrible tragedy. He also had no idea why the unseen figures wanted to interact with him.
Aziz stared at Kiko in shock. “But why me?” he asked. Kiko smiled. “Because you're kind, Mr. Aziz,” Kiko replied. He smiled. “You want to protect cats. You want to protect the weak. We're weak too, Mr. Aziz. No one protects us.”
The lights flickered. Outside, three boxes began moving on their own. _Scrape... scrape..._ toward the door.
It was five in the morning. The dawn call to prayer began. The scratching stopped. The whispers stopped. Only the sound of rain remained.
Kiko sat outside the circle of salt. “You have a choice.” Aziz was curious. “What?” he asked. Kiko looked at Aziz. “Choice one: You leave this house right now. Take your cats with you. We stay here. But maybe we won't follow you.” “Choice two: You stay here. Protect us, just like you protect your cats. We won't bother you. We just want someone to keep us company,” Kiko answered.
Aziz fell silent. His four cats stared at him. “Choice three?” he asked. Kiko smiled, revealing his pointed teeth. “There is no choice three.”
Aziz thought about his mother. About the loneliness. About his four cats, who were now his only family. If he left, where would he go? Aziz didn't know where else to go, either.
But if he stayed... with five dead children?
The call to prayer ended. Sunrise was approaching. The sky was still dark.
Kiko stood up. “You have until the sun comes up. If you don't answer... we'll choose for you.”
Kiko walked into the back room. The three boxes outside also began moving on their own, entering through the open window.
The back-room door closed. _Thud._
The house fell silent. Only the sound of rain remained.
Aziz looked at the clock. 5:20. The sky was beginning to lighten a little in the east.
Ruby tugged at Aziz's clothes. _Meow._ Aziz stroked Ruby's head. “What do we do? Leave or stay?” He was in turmoil, restless and unsure what to do.
Suddenly, Aziz's phone rang. It wasn't a notification. It was a call. Number: _UNKNOWN_
Aziz answered. Afraid, his hand trembling. Even his phone shook because he was nervous and on edge.
“Hello?” From the other end came the lively sounds of children playing together, like they were at a playground. Then came an adult woman's voice. Soft. It sounded like his mother's.
“Aziz... sweetheart... Mom misses you.”
_ click _ The call ended.
At the same time, the back-room door opened a crack. Yellow light spilled through it. Warm. Like the light in Aziz's bedroom when he was little.
And from inside, five children's voices spoke in unison: “Aziz... it's morning... come play...”
The clock on the wall read 5:29. One minute until sunrise.
Aziz stood up. His four cats followed him and stared at him, sensing that he was going to leave. He slowly tried to walk toward the back-room door. His hand closed around the doorknob.
Outside, the three boxes were already in front of the bedroom door.
Aziz gripped the doorknob, completely distraught.