Scary Holiday Tales to Make You Scream Read Free Page B

message."
    "What the-"
    "Jahobe says that you are ungrateful."
    "I never asked for anything, you-"
    "Jahobe says you will get back what he has taken."
    "No! I will thank Jahobe!"
    Zak watched the old woman as she walked away. "It is too late, Jahobe says."
    Zak chased the old woman as she entered the hallway, but he was too late. The old woman vanished like an apparition.

    ***
    Zak hadn't left his apartment in two days. He sat up in his bed rocking himself. On the table sat the small bottle of remedy that had brought him the great relief. The relief he still felt, but didn't know if it would stay forever now. Christmas was in three days and he would see another one as Dr. Gibbons suggested, or would he?
    Outside his apartment, he could see the reflection of the blinking Christmas lights. A hush of Christmas songs he could hear through the walls of his apartment. It was a festive time, a time of family and friends, but not for Zak. He alienated his friends from work after he got sick. And his family in Vietnam disowned him for fleeing to America. Christmas was never festive for him anyway; he hated the holidays, this one the most.
    He clutched at his stomach. His pain was replaced with the sickly feeling of fear in the pit of his abdomen. The old woman had spooked him, and the creatures in his dreams terrified him. He had only slept once since the old woman's visit, and there again the black creatures visited him.
    He felt the sleep creeping up on him as he rocked. He wasn't about to sleep. Zak grabbed his coat and decided to head for the diner. He walked quickly through the dark hallways and down the stairs. He kept an eye open for the old woman.
    He stepped out into the snow. The large flakes floated gently all around him. It was the kind of snow that brought a stillness to the night. The streetlights captured by the low hanging clouds provided a sense of warmth. The streets were clear of traffic, and he found himself alone in an otherwise busy neighborhood.
    His trek was accompanied by the crunch of fresh snow beneath his feet. How long it had been snowing he did not know, but it was a steady flow, laying a white blanket of maybe four or five inches. He kept a weary eye out to his right and left, occasionally peeking behind him to make sure the old lady wasn't following. Zak Tran was not a violent man by any means, but he had decided during the past days that if the old lady ever showed herself again, he couldn't promise that he wouldn't hurt her.
    The diner was closed, the sign that hung in the middle of the door read, "Be back at 4:00 a.m." He hadn't even bothered to check the time before he left. He looked down at his wristwatch, '3:35 a.m.' it read. He dropped his hand in disgust. At least the walk in the cold and snow woke him up. He headed back to his apartment, his step a little quicker and his eyes more attentive.
    As he approached the steps to his apartment, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He looked quickly to his right. There in the middle of the street stood the old lady. Zak stopped and turned back down the steps. He ran as the old woman turned and walked away. She moved swiftly, almost as if she were floating over the powder. Zak tried to pick up the pace and catch her before she slipped between the buildings. He failed.
    When he reached the alley, the old woman was gone. Zak walked in a few feet before backing back out. He wasn't about to venture in and chase after her. He walked back to where the old woman was standing. She had dropped something that he hadn't noticed before. It was a small handkerchief with the word 'Jahobe' stitched in small X's. Something else too, there were no footprints except for his in the fresh powder. He turned back to the alley, looking through the shadows to the lights from the next street. Zak dropped the handkerchief and rubbed his hands on his pants as if to clean them.
    He walked backwards for several steps, stumbling over the curb back onto the sidewalk.