Archie

By: Mace Styx

Narrated by: Marianne

Short stories by Mace Styx:

I called for Archie then, shouting at the top of my lungs and hoping that perhaps she had escaped to the outside, or was on her way to my house. I lifted my phone to call her and saw a video clip she had sent. Feeling the tension drain from my body as relief washed over me like a wave, I sighed, assuming that this message would tell me exactly where she was, that she was safe and that the worst I would then be faced with was an embarrassing conversation with the police. As it turned out, only the last of these was true.

Before I could play the clip, the male officer approached me and began to question me about "wasting police time". I assured him that my friend had been deeply upset and that I had been genuinely concerned for her safety. I was midway through a forceful protest when he pointed toward the wall and the blank space, where the tiny door had been.

Crossing the room in disbelief, I touched the wall, searching for some bump or imperfection. The door had clearly been there, and though I had never physically seen it in person, Archie hadn’t shut up about it for weeks. It was in the videos for Christ's sake. Now, though, there was only wall. A wall, blank and unfazed by my protests, that "it was there, I swear it was there".

Frowning and clearly unamused, the officers suggested that perhaps the entire thing was an elaborate prank played by Archie, with the intention of giving me a fright. When I explained that this really wasn’t the sort of thing Archie would do, they glanced at each other knowingly and began to descend the stairs. It was at that point that I finally opened the video Archie had sent. I’m not sure how long it took me to stop screaming, but it was a very long time.

Neither Archie, nor her body have ever been found.

The house at Terrance Street where Archie lived for a matter of weeks has not been unoccupied since. This is not an accident. The male police officer I met that night has petitioned the council to have the property condemned for a number of spurious reasons. Risking his reputation and career in an attempt to prevent anyone from occupying the house again. The landlord with whom Archie communicated has also never been traced ad so, for now at least, it looks as if it will remain empty, but there is always the possibility. There is of course a reason the officer was so keen to take these steps. He also saw the video.

©2020 Mace Styx (P)2021 Mace Styx