Daily Flash Fiction Challenge

My wife and I have walked past the house many times in the past twenty-five years and never noticed anything odd…until last evening—the night before Halloween.

“Did you hear that?” my wife asked.

“Hear what?”

We stopped in front of the darkened house, listening.

“I don’t hear anything.” I took hold of her hand and walked on.

She pulled her hand from mine and stopped. “That!” she said.

That’s when I heard the sound. It was like a muffled shriek.

“What is it?” Now I was getting a tad uneasy. “What sound does a ghost make?”

“More of a ‘wooo,wooo’. This sounds like someone has his hand over a woman’s mouth, trying to muffle her scream.”

“Why is it always a man?”

“Gerald, really.” She punched my arm. “Should we call the police?”

“And say what?”

“That we heard strange noises coming from the Craftsman house at 4341 Ascot Avenue.”

“Seriously, Kimmy?”

“Why not? It’s the truth.”

“We don’t even know who lives here.”

“That is sad. Neighborliness is dead. We live one block away and have no idea what monster might be killing an innocent woman,” She got out her cell phone. “Isn’t it our civic duty?” Her finger was poised over the buttons.

We didn’t need the hassle.

“Maybe the woman’s already dead,” I said, trying to dissuade her. “It only takes a minute to strangle someone to death.” I continued, “We would have to testify. Who knows, we could get blamed for it. It could get ugly. I can see the headlines…”

Kimmy slipped her phone into her jacket pocket. “It is the night before Halloween. It’s probably a sound effects CD.”

She walked on; I followed.

We’re what’s wrong with this country! I’m not proud of it.