Ruby 10

Ruby’s breath caught in her throat. She had heard Gran’s whispered invitation…muttered in some dream perhaps but an invitation none-the-less. The air around her took on a chill as she heard the creak of the hinges of the old door in Gran’s basement. The thing was in the house. What in the world was she going to do now?

Something touched her arm, and she jumped, screaming. She quickly checked herself. Turning the flashlight on, she saw that it was the little boy. He was standing there, still and pale. Oh God! What was she going to do with the boy? That thing in the basement was in the house….and she had no idea what she was going to do. To make matters worse, Gran had just woken up. And she knew what she had done it seemed.

“Oh Ruby,” Gran’s voice wavered with emotion, “I think I’ve done something bad.”

“Hush now,” Ruby whispered, “Let’s try to stay quiet.”

“That won’t help,” the boy said, his voice cold and strangely calm. He really gave Ruby the creeps. She looked at him in the harsh beam of the flashlight. His eyes seemed far away…almost vacant.

Gran started to cry a little bit louder. Ruby suddenly felt like she should just make a run for it. The thing wanted the boy. It would take him first. And Gran was old…she couldn’t run that fast. That would surely give her time to get the hell out of here and to somewhere safe…somewhere far away from the horror that was slowly creeping closer and closer to them. She could feel it coming closer…toying with them. The air around them was getting colder….colder….and it began to take on an acrid smell. Like an old diaper.

What was she thinking? Of course she couldn’t…wouldn’t…leave the boy or Gran behind. She would stay…and fight…to the end if need be. She still had Gran’s pistol. She reached for it. It felt heavy and reassuring in her hand.

“That won’t do you any good,” the boy said again, slowly and dreamily….like he was walking in his sleep.

It was all Ruby could do to keep from snapping at the boy….slapping him across the face. Anything to get a reaction other than that dazed, hypnotized look would be better!

“Here…take this,” he reached out his hand. He was holding something small and pointed. It flashed a bright blue in the light-beam.

“What?” Ruby asked, taking the object. It flashed blue again….surely it was just the light. But it almost looked as though the light was coming from inside the object itself. Now she could see….it was a bullet!

“Where did you get this?” Ruby asked, holding it in her palm. It looked cold….flashing blue in the darkness. But it felt warm. It was almost as though it was pulsing in her hand.

Like it’s alive! she thought.

“Mommy gave it to me,” the boy said, walking back toward the recliner where he had been sleeping only moments before, “She is with the little white man….the one from the TV. She said to give that to you. You have to kill the monster.”

“WHAT?!?” Ruby asked, jumping up. Downstairs, she could hear the shuffling of feet across the laminate flooring that Gran had put down a few years ago. It sounded like nails….claws…skittering across. What in the world was that thing?

“Goodnight,” the boy whispered, falling down onto the recliner. He was fast asleep again before his head hit the back of the chair.

Had he even been awake? Ruby stared back down at her palm. The bullet glowed again…flashing a bright blue that sent a shock of heat up her arm. She looked over at Gran…but the old woman was a mess. She was shaking and crying.

“All my fault,” Gran was muttering, “I let it in. I let it in.”

“Gran….for God’s sake,” Ruby suddenly shouted, “Just please….please don’t. I don’t know what to do…..what should I do?”

Gran looked at her….her face a mask of fear and tears. Ruby’s heart skipped a beat. She had always known Gran to be her rock…the one person on whom she could always count. Now…Gran looked like some wild animal caught in a trap. It hurt Ruby’s eyes to see Gran in this way.

Without even thinking about it, she opened the pistol and slid the bullet into one of the chambers. It fit…perfectly. Just like it was made for it, she thought. Somehow, she knew that it would have fit any gun…any weapon that she had. Suddenly the entire pistol felt alive…it was vibrating in her hand. A strange calmness came over her.

She must have shown it on her face because Gran suddenly seemed to calm down a little. She snuffed….looking at Ruby in the dim light of the flashlight.

“Ruby…what are you doing?” Gran whispered, as Ruby walked slowly toward the door which led to the basement, “Where are you going?”

“I think you know that already Gran,” Ruby said, “Lock the door behind me. And if you hear me…screaming…get out of the house. Take the boy with you. Just run.”

“RUBY NO!” Gran was off the couch and running toward her, “DON”T GO DOWN THERE!”

“I have to Gran!” Ruby looked at Gran, “I have to! But don’t worry….I think….I think that maybe I have a chance now.”

“Why?” Gran was pulling on her arm, trying to make her stay, “Because of some shiny piece of metal that the boy had. He could have found that anywhere. You’re going to get yourself killed.”

“NO GRAN!” Ruby pulled her arm away, “If I don’t go…we are all going to die.”

And Gran knew. She must have sensed it. Ruby could tell. Ruby saw her slowly lower her arms and nod…just once.

Slowly, Ruby opened the basement door, expecting the thing to jump out…and leap toward her throat. But it didn’t. The flashlight in her hand shook slightly. The stairs were empty. Taking a step forward, Ruby walked through the door and shut it behind her. She heard the click as Gran locked it behind her.

She was alone…in the basement…at the top of the stairs….with that thing down below somewhere. Suddenly she didn’t feel quite so courageous. And then….the flashlight went out. She was alone…in the dark. And she could hear something breathing right in front of her.

Until next week….class dismissed.