“Aziz... sweetheart...” It was that woman's voice again. Soft. Sad.
“Mom...?” Aziz asked.
“Yes, sweetheart. Mom's here. With the children,” the woman replied through Aziz's phone.
Aziz trembled. “Where are you, Mom?”
“At home. Keeping the children company. Waiting for you to come home,” the woman replied.
Aziz looked at the five children. They were all smiling at the phone.
“Mr. Aziz,” Tina said. “This is our mother. She can't leave because she's waiting for us. We can't leave because we're waiting for you.”
Aziz's mind spun. A vicious cycle.
“Then... what if I leave?”
“If you leave,” little Kiko answered softly, “we'll come with you. Because we've grown fond of you. Just like Mom loves us.”
Aziz's four cats stood up. Their tails puffed out. They could feel it too.
“What if I stay?”
“If you stay,” Andi said, “we'll be quiet. We won't bother you. We'll just play in the bedroom. You can live normally. Take care of your cats. We'll play.”
It sounded good. But...
“How long?” Aziz asked.
The five children fell silent. They looked at one another.
“Mom...” a voice whispered through the phone. His mother's voice. “I don't know how long...”
_Duk duk._
It didn't come from the door. Maybe it came from the floor.
The floorboard in the middle of the living room opened by itself.
A fourth wooden box emerged. This one was bigger. It had a chain around it.
There was a piece of paper on top. Handwritten.
_FOR MR. AZIZ. FROM MOM._
Aziz stepped back. “What's that?”
“That,” Tina said. Her eyes were completely black. “That's where we go when we're naughty.”
The chain around the box came off by itself. _Clack._
The lid opened a little.
A small hand emerged from inside. Pale. With long fingernails.
Then a head. Long, wet hair.
A little girl's face. But half of it was burned. She had no eyes.
“You children have been naughty,” the creature said. Her voice was hoarse. “Mom told you not to bother the guest.”
The five children immediately lowered their heads. Terrified.
“Apologize,” the creature said.
“Sorry, Mom,” the five children said in unison.
This was their mother. The mother who had died in the fire.
The mother turned toward Aziz. Her empty eye sockets faced him.
“You're Aziz, right? The one who usually takes care of cats. You're the one being bothered because you wanted to play with the children.”
Aziz couldn't answer. He sat there speechless.
The woman grinned. “You want to stay here, don't you? Keep them company, so they won't be naughty anymore.” At her words, Aziz shuddered in fear.
“If you don't...” The mother smiled. Half her face split open. “Then I'll keep you company, Aziz.” The astral being stared at him.
Cold. So cold that Aziz's breath came out as vapor.
His four cats immediately ran to him. Protecting him.
The clock on the wall read 5:58.
Two minutes until daylight.
The mother reached out toward Aziz. Her hand was burned.
“Choose, child. Stay. Or come with Mom now.”
The door behind Aziz opened. Darkness. It wasn't Aziz's living room.
Dark like an abyss.
From inside that darkness came the voices of many small children cheering.
And a voice: _“Take turns... take turns...”_
Aziz looked at the five children. They were crying.
He looked at his four cats. They meowed, telling him to leave.
He looked at the phone. His mother's voice was still saying, “Come home, sweetheart...”
5:59.
Aziz stood up. His legs trembled.
He walked backward. Toward the dark door.
Or toward the five children.
The mother's hand was already ten centimeters from Aziz's face.
Suddenly, the power came back on. _Brrt!_
Sunlight pierced through the crack in the window.
Everything stopped.
The mother hissed. She retreated into the box.
The five children covered their ears.
“It's not time yet,” the mother said. “But we'll meet again, sweetheart.”
_Slap._ The box slammed shut. The chain locked itself. The floorboard closed.
The Bad Room