The Family Across the Street by Nicole Trope
30
Gladys
The scream is long and loud, desperate and sad all at once. Gladys looks at Katherine’s house and then at the man. Her mouth drops open, words failing her. Logan takes off running and she watches as he darts to the side of the house, pushing at the side gate and then heaving his shoulder into it. The wood gives way, the gate swinging open with a crunch.
Who screamed? Was it George or Sophie or Katherine?Gladys covers her mouth with her hand. Who screamed? Who was it?
‘Oh, Lou,’ she says, remembering that her husband is waiting for her.
She walks quickly back towards her own front door, steps inside her house, just a step, and shouts, ‘Are you okay, Lou?’
‘I’m fine,’ shouts Lou. ‘What was that scream? I heard a scream.’
Gladys looks back at the street, where she can see if a police car approaches. Come on, come on. She wants to go back to Katherine’s house and see what’s happening. She can’t see much through the green hedging that is between her front garden and Katherine’s front garden. But first she needs to reassure Lou, who’s still in the living room.
‘It was… I think it was one of the children,’ yells Gladys so that he can hear her. ‘Now you stay right where you are. I’ve called the police and it’s all going to get sorted out, just stay where you are, Lou.’ She waits to hear his reply, her gaze concentrated on the road.
‘Don’t tell me what to do, Gladys. If something is happening over there, you need to stay here until the police come. You need to be safe.’
Gladys marches back into her house and into the living room, wagging her finger as she sees Lou, who is peering at the door. ‘Now you listen to me, Lou Aaron Philips, I’m fine. All I need is for you to keep yourself safe while I figure this out.’
‘No need to be so strict, old girl, I’m just worried about you.’ He sags a little in his chair and she is immediately sorry, but her worry over Katherine and the children is making her horribly jumpy.
‘I’ll be fine, love. Do you need anything? I may be a few minutes.’
‘No, no, I’m all right… but, Glad, please be careful.’
She plants a quick kiss on top of his head and marches back down her front garden path to stand outside Katherine’s house and wait for the police. As she goes, she dials the station again. No reason why they can’t hurry themselves along. No reason at all.
‘Yes, now listen here,’ she says when the call is answered, and she explains again, although this time she adds in the scream she and the delivery man just heard. It was not a normal scream, not a child playing or just doing themselves some minor injury. That scream held fear and pain. Gladys has no idea how she knows this, but she does.
She paces up and down, looking down the front path to Katherine’s house. What if the man who has gone into the house is the dangerous one? Should I follow him inside? Should I stay here? Will Lou be okay if something happens? Who will take care of Lou if I get hurt?
The delivery driver is such a frightening-looking man, every inch of his skin covered in violent tattoos, but his voice is deep and calm and he has nice blue eyes. Can she trust him? She thinks she can but she has no idea why this is. He is not the sort of person she would normally trust. He’s the sort of person she would call the police on. She almost did, but it was the way he said, ‘I’m going to level with you,’ that made her pause. The world needs more people like Logan.
It’s unnerving how quiet it is, how the silence has draped itself over the suburb after the last few minutes of noise. Gladys looks around at the other houses on the street, wondering exactly what is happening inside all of them. Katherine’s house looks the same today as it did yesterday but she has obviously never had any real idea of what is occurring behind the beautiful timber front door that is meant to keep people out, but which may very well have kept people trapped inside today.