The Open Door

It was storming. 

On the corner of a vacant street, a young girl stood in a black coat. Her hair was as a hood, soaked flat onto her head. Behind her, a diner with large darkened windows towered as if watching over her shoulder. 

She thought it was a perfect day for rain. Earlier that morning, she had made the long drive two cities over to collect her mother’s things from a rehab hospital, before returning to work her midday shift. Her mother had passed away.

She didn't know how to feel about it.

She didn't spend much time with her mother growing up, as she was always in and out of various treatment facilities for her alcoholism and chronic pain. Instead, she spent most of her childhood in with various extended family members or in foster homes, and she sometimes spent time with her mother on the weekends. 

She quickly rubbed away the tears that began pool into her vision, despite the rain, or the fact that no one else was there to see. 

It wasn’t long before a silver Genesis with a flashing sign pulled up to the curb in front of her. She entered the Uber without question, water splashing into the backseat from her boots. 

“Shannon?” the driver asked. 

She nodded and he began the trip.

The ride home was a silent one, as she peered blindly through the glass. She could only think of all the time that had been lost and every promise to make up for it. It hurt to know that she’d never see her mother again, that she’d never get to mend their fragile bond.

When the car pulled up to a white brick building, she exited without a word. The studio was warm as she made her way inside, greeted by a muted television, an unmade bed and an unopened cardboard box. 

Renee in black marker labeled the side. 

“I should just leave you alone,” Shannon muttered. 

Ignoring the package that waited for her, she instead proceeded to get ready for bed. That meant first getting out of her wet uniform. 

Once showered and dressed in comfier clothing, she made her way back to the box that sat comfortably on her coffee table. She took a deep breath and began to pull the tape from the edges. 

She wished she wasn’t so nervous. But she was afraid to see. 

What would be left of her? 

Her mother didn’t have much. She was a strange woman that way. She only ever had what she absolutely needed, and oftentimes that meant close to nothing. So, what could have been lucky enough to make it to the end?

Shannon finally cleared the tape and when she opened the box her eyes widened. A pile of dark brown fur sat neatly inside. 

Once lifted out of the box, the fabric unfolded to reveal a rather large and expensive coat, like the kind you’d see in an old movie. Needless to say, she was confused. She’d never seen her mother wear anything like this. Shannon wasn’t even certain she’d ever seen her mother in a pair of heels. 

The coat, held extended above her, flowed almost completely to the ground. Shannon swayed it gently from side to side, feeling the weight of it.

Could this really have belonged to her mother? It didn’t seem likely. 

A wave of dizziness came over her and the heavy coat slipped from her fingers. It hit the ground with a morbid thump, like a body dropping. 

I can’t deal with this right now, she thought, slumped onto the couch with a hand on her head. 

After taking a moment to steady herself, she folded the large coat back into the box and dragged the box to the linen closet. When done, she leaned against the closed door, her head resting against its hollow shape. She tried to imagine her mother wearing the coat, but she could only imagine the fur dragging along the ground. 

She shook her head in mild disbelief before making her way across the room. She made herself comfortable beneath her blankets of her bed and soon was fast asleep, 

• 
  

The next morning, she opened her eyes at the sound of a dull knock. She blinked for a moment, adjusting to the brightness of the sun peering through the curtain. Once she deemed herself fully alert, she sat up and pulled herself out of the bed. 

On her way to the bathroom, she gently shut the linen closet door. She remembered it already being shut the night before, but her memory was a bit vague. 

Hm, she noted, but soon became immersed in her morning activities. 

Around the time she was finishing up breakfast, a loud ring startled her out of her seat. She reached across the table to grab her cellphone and cursed. 

“What now?” she said, seeing the name of the diner flashing across the screen. “Yes? … uh huh…but I thought…Fine. I’ll be there soon.” 

She hung up and let out a long groan. She just wanted to rest. Today was supposed to be her only off day this week, but of course one of the other waitresses had to call in sick. 

Quickly getting dressed into a clean uniform, a pair of black slacks and a black button down, she carried her matching apron in her hand and made her way out the door. 

• 
  

Shannon returned that evening looking slightly disheveled and notably exhausted. She made her way to the couch and took a seat. 

Something caught her attention from the corner of her eye and she turned to see the door of the linen closet wide open. She was definitely confused this time. She knew that she had closed the door this morning. 

She got up and went over to the closet. The box containing the dark fur coat was neatly placed on the floor just as she had left it. Nothing was suspicious about the closet at all. 

“Maybe there’s something wrong with the door,” she thought aloud. 

No worries. It would be no trouble to notify the building maintenance of the faulty door. 

She looked at the closed box again. A part of her felt bad for making judgments regarding her mother’s last belonging. Who was she to assume she knew everything? The coat could belong to a dear friend or another dead relative, for all she knew. 

Humbled by her own thoughts, Shannon decided to hang the coat. She assumed it was something to at least hold close and dear to her. Pulling it out of the box, she found a hanger strong enough to support its weight and placed the garment on the rod.

Once hanging, it certainly did stand out amongst her rain coat and denim jacket, even while nestled on the very end of the rod in the darkest corner. She looked at it a bit longer than necessary, wanting to rid herself of this feeling of…skepticism. 

Something about the fabric of the coat, the dark brown fur, sent chills through her body. 

She shook her head and closed the door. 

Enough, she thought. 

Maybe after a year she’ll donate it, so as to not feel too bad for not wanting it. 

Feeling even more exhausted now, she closed the closet door before making her way to bed. 

• 
  

Shannon suddenly shot upright, having heard a loud sound in her sleep. She tried to steady her vision as her heartbeat evened. Once her eyes adjusted, she peered around the darkened bedroom, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. 

Was it my dream? She thought, until…

Her eyes locked onto her bedroom door, left wide open as if it were not shut before, except it was. She was sure she shut the door. She remembered the tiny click it made when the latch bolt slid into place. 

She held her breath. 

The the hall outside her door was dark. She looked uselessly into the blackness of it. She needed to shut the door and go back to sleep. Slowly, she got out of the bed and walked towards the door. When close enough to touch the knob she quickly grabbed it and slammed the door closed before sprinting back to the safety of her covers.

She stared at the door from beneath her comforter, her eyes wide and alert. There was no way she could sleep like this, so she just watched. 

An hour or so went by of nothing. Shannon could feel her eyelids beginning to droop, despite her best efforts to keep them open. Before she knew it, her eyes were fully shut and she was drifting into sleep. 

That was, until she heard the soft creak of a door opening. At first, it was just a budge, but then the door slowly began to widen inch by inch.

Shannon was awake now. 

She watched as the door slowly widened. The darkness inside seemed to have grown darker…thicker. It pulsed. 

Shannon felt her eyes swell with tears. She was frozen as the mass of darkness eased its way into her space, gradually making its way across the wooden planks along the floor.  

She attempted to get off of the bed, but her body felt heavy. She couldn’t move her legs. It didn’t take long for Shannon to begin to hyperventilate, suddenly unsure if this was a dream or not.

The dark mass of pulsing fur grumbled as it reached the bed frame. It seemed to grow larger the more it moved towards her. It creeped up the foot of the bed and soon was right next to her. 

She couldn’t close her eyes. Every thread of fur danced as if moved by the wind. The room itself was cold and still, like time had stopped. There was a putrid smell coming from the fur, like rotting meat. Her body convulsed at the scent. The body of fur only seemed to move closer, grow bigger, despite how close it was already.  

What’s going to happen to me? She thought. 

There was a dark rumble from the mass of fur. “I’m going to wear you,” a voice slithered. 

Shannon gasped and watched as the beastly garment extended itself above her. It reminded her of a bear, the sleeves raised like heavy paws about to strike. One by one the buttons snapped and the coat opened to reveal a red interior.  If she could move, Shannon would have turned away and vomited. 

The interior was wet, she noticed. Some parts were lumpy and other parts were smooth. The tangle of unidentified organs painted a gruesome picture. The rotting smell was only stronger, practically suffocating her. She could see the…skin…pulse, as if the coat was breathing. 

“You’ll fit nicely in my wardrobe,” the slithery voice continued, and then descended onto Shannon’s frozen body.

• 
  

A week went by and no one had heard from Shannon. The diner called her cell phone everyday before one of the waitresses stop by to check on her. When she arrived at Shannon’s apartment, she was alarmed to notice that the front door was wide open. 

She stepped inside the dark studio. It was completely quiet. The only movement in the space was the screen of a muted television. She noticed a cell phone sitting by the bedside, and after getting a closer look determined it belonged to her co-worker.

Her eyes danced around the room, feeling deeply uncomfortable. Deciding that this was out of her depth, she made her way towards the door and made a note to contact the authorities. On her way out, she caught sight of a familiar name drawn on a cardboard box. She didn't know many details, but she did know that Shannon’s mother had recently passed away.. 

She approached the box, sitting in an open closet. However, she deflated when she saw that the box was empty.