Regina was one of my mother’s friends and her house was about 2 houses from mine. She lived with her husband, Roy, and her son and daughter-in-law.
Roy used to work as a gardener. He would drink but only in moderate amounts and only on weekends. Son worked as security and his wife as a secretary.
When the pandemic began and the lockdown started, Roy lost his job and that changed him. He became so depressed and angry that it was impossible to talk to him. He became a wife-beater and when the lockdown was over, the son and his wife moved out.
He began taking drugs and alcohol. She still had a job and became the breadwinner. He would take her money by force and spend it on alcohol. He became drinking more and more. Regina started showing bruises on her face and neck. But she always defended him.
This continued till last year when Roy collapsed on his way home and was taken to the hospital and diagnosed as suffering from End Stage Liver Disease. He became bedridden within a month.
His son refused to visit or help and so the burden of taking care of him fell on her. We would help out by giving her money or buying her a few essential grocery items.
My brother (John) and I decided to visit them as we hadn’t seen her for a few days. She looked tired and she said she’ll have to stay home more and can come only on alternate days. We said we understood and she looked relieved.
When we entered Roy’s room, he was staring out his window. We asked him what he looking at and he replied that last night he saw a man in the tree outside his window. We told him it would be too cold for anyone to climb a tree and stay there in the cold night and that he imagined it. He didn’t look convinced.
From then on, we’d visit them once a week and Roy would tell us that the man in the tree has started calling his name. He asked us to come to his room at around 10 or 11 at night and see for ourselves. My brother agreed. So that night, John made me go with him to their house. John put his chair near the window while I went to sleep in their guest bedroom. Next morning, John told us that he saw a shadow and he wanted us to sit with him.
So that night, all 3 of us sat with Roy. At around 11:30 Roy began to get restless and started saying that the man is calling him. We all looked outside and I thought I saw something move among the branches. John asked me if I saw it but since I wasn’t sure and I replied that I didn’t.
I didn’t want to go back to their house but I wanted to know what was happening. So when John told me that he was planning on spending a few more nights at Roy’s place, I told him that I wanted to go with him.
This went on for about 2 or 3 nights till one night Roy started saying that the man was coming towards the window. Again, I thought I saw something move but it was windy and I thought, maybe, someone must be walking along the road. Roy said he couldn’t see the man anymore and we all waited to see where he would reappear. But nothing else happened that night and so John went back to his seat while I went with Regina to kitchen.
She made us coffee and then admitted to seeing something. We were discussing about seeing the shadow when we heard screaming coming from the room.
When we entered the room, I saw John on the floor unconscious and Roy screaming “He’s here”. Regina pointed towards the window and I finally saw what Roy had been seeing all this time. It was tall dark figure, about 7 or 8 feet, it’s eyes were dark and shimmering. Suddenly it lunged towards Roy and when it fell on top of him, it looked as if Roy was covered with a dark cloth. I didn’t want to touch it and so I took the table lamp and tried to hit it. When I got close to it, it suddenly came towards me and I felt cold and unable to move. I couldn’t see or hear anything.
When I came to, I was on floor and Regina was crying. John was standing near me and he told me that Roy was dead. We didn’t talk much as we had to help Regina arrange the funeral. I informed her son and after the funeral, he took Regina with him and sold the house.
Later John and I told each other about what happened that night. Apparently, John tried to hit it with his fist and felt his pass through cold freezing air. Then he felt something cold strike him and he lost consciousness.
Everything went back to normal and all of it felt like a bad dream. I haven’t heard from Regina after she left to live with her son and I don’t want to.
Two days ago, I was returning home from a party when I saw something move. I looked and saw it again and I think it felt I could see it because it stopped and looked back at me for a moment and ran towards a nearby house. Within seconds, I heard screams coming from that house. I ran the rest of the way to my house and locked all doors and windows.
I guess my encounter with that thing has resulted me being able to see it. I don’t know if John will be able to see it, as he refuses to talk about it . I hope I won’t be so unlucky to see it come for me at my end.