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When Sherry was younger, she would dream of monsters in her closet.
“ Sherry, you're being ridiculous,” Mommy always said, unequivocal and blunt. “ There are no monsters there. See?”
Mommy would open the closet to prove her point. Sherry's clothes seemed to mock her as they innocently hung there, untouched by any monsters that lurked there. Mommy would then close the closet door and the monsters would return once Mommy left her bedroom.
If Daddy was there, he would pat her head and wait until she was done crying before continuing. “ You're a big girl now, Sherry,” he said, somewhat more kindly, though still a little condescending. “ You can't be afraid of these kinds of things. There are no monsters in your closet or anywhere else, I can assure you that.”
When Sherry grew a little older, the monsters would sometimes return.
But she wouldn't know what her Mommy and Daddy would have said to her, whether to lecture her or comfort her.
Because they weren't home anymore and Sherry was left alone to deal with the monsters on her own.
~.~.~
Mommy and Daddy told her to stay in the house.
Something bad was happening, Sherry knew it, but Daddy was distracted, muttering things under his breath after he picked her up suddenly from school and Mommy was gathering things from the house, barely acknowledging her.
They told her it would be safe in the house.
But it wasn't.
Sherry could hear people scratching at the door and banging on the windows. She was calling the police, but no one picked up and no one came. She tried calling Mommy and Daddy's phones but they didn't answer either.
The glass on the windows cracked. The garbed voices became louder.
So she ran out the side door. They were out in the streets too and the only things Sherry could hear were their shrieks as they tried to grab for her and her own frantic breathing.
Mommy and Daddy were wrong. They had been wrong all along.
There were monsters out there and not just in her closet.
(and as she later found out, her Daddy became one too)
~.~.~
Sherry could have sworn there was a rattle coming from the motel's closet and that was why she woke up.
Even though they found the abandoned motel early afternoon, they were all exhausted and Leon in particular had not been doing well with his injured shoulder. He didn't complain, even as he listened with interest about Sherry's plans to adopt a variety of pets.
After they cleaned themselves as best as possible and changed into the clothes Claire managed to find for them, Sherry had sat in the bed with Claire's jacket over her chest, absently fiddling with the radio. Her eyes began to droop as she listened to Claire and Leon speaking in low tones, Claire frowning at Leon's wound, Leon hissing in pain as she applied antiseptic over it.
The next time Sherry opened her eyes, the sun had already set, the clock told her it was late into the night, and despite her eyes adjusting to the dark, she spotted Claire and Leon curled up in the other bed, surprisingly close to each other, hands intertwined even in sleep.
Sherry thought Claire must be so lucky to have a boyfriend like that.
There was another rattle (or was that a moan?) and Sherry jumped.
The three of them had already investigated the motel earlier, Claire in front, Sherry holding onto Leon's free hand, tensing at any sound, listening for any growls or shuffled footsteps. But there was no other living (or non-living) beings here except for them.
She remained frozen, staring at the closet that was closest to her, clutching Claire's jacket as if it would protect her. Her instincts screamed at her to get Claire.
But Sherry had noticed how tired Claire was, how she worried and watched over them incessantly at the expanse of her own well being. Leon too had remained vigilant and alert for them and he was dealing with his own injuries that drained him to the core. Neither of them had properly rested the last twenty-four hours.
She felt horrible if she woke them up over something like this. She could be brave. She could last the night.
(she had done it before, countless nights before; so what if it was one more night?)
~.~.~
For some time, the monster did not come back.
Maybe it had to do with how Sherry, Leon and Claire were moving from place to place and every time Sherry's head sunk into the pillow, she was too tired to even notice if monsters were there.
But things came to a head when they finally managed to scrape enough money to rent a small apartment. Leon and Claire had taken turns managing part-time jobs (Leon had joked that after his terrible first day as a rookie cop, any job after that would be tolerable), making sure at least one of them stayed with Sherry. Sherry always told them they could leave her alone, she got by fine before. Though Claire and Leon usually exchanged unreadable looks at each other whenever Sherry mentioned this.
Sherry was absolutely delighted in exploring the rooms and claim a bedroom for herself. At the present time, they were only able to afford two bedrooms and Leon graciously offered it to Claire while he would take the couch. Sherry didn't know why they just didn't share it.
It was both exciting and a little saddening to not sleep in the same room as Claire and Leon. They reassured her they were only in the room next door or outside in the living room as they said good night and shut off the lights.
What felt like only minutes later, Sherry heard the monster.
It rumbled and groaned (like the monsters she saw before, like her Daddy, except it wasn't, it couldn't be her Daddy), whispering her name. She could have sworn it was scratching and clawing at the closet, demanding to be let out.
She was frozen, clutching the blankets to her chest. She should call for Claire and Leon. She shouldn't bother them. She couldn't make up her mind.
There was a splintering crack against the wooden frame – the monster was coming to get her – and Sherry was already screaming before she knew it.
Almost immediately, Leon and Claire barged into her room.
“ Sherry, are you okay?” Claire quickly gathered her up in her arms while Leon stood guard, scanning the entirety of the room for any threat.
A flush of embarrassment flooded into Sherry as she hiccoughed into Claire's shoulder. She was a big girl now, like her father once said. She was being silly, like her mother once said.
“ Hey, you're all right. You're safe. We're right here.” Her bed dipped down as Leon sat next to them. His smile was gentle, not patronizing at all.
“ I'm sorry,” Sherry finally managed to say over the lump in her throat. “ It – it's just – I heard – there was something – ”
Almost unconsciously, her eyes drifted towards the closet where it was maddeningly and frustratingly silent once again.
Perhaps due to his training as a police officer, Leon followed her eyesight. With a slight frown, he stood up and made his way towards the closet. Sherry barely managed to stutter out a warning when Leon opened the closet door.
Like many times before, there was no monster there.
But to Sherry's surprise and relief, Leon still had his gun held high as he inspected and prodded every inch inside the closet, checking each coat hanger and nudging any boxes. Claire watched, sitting at the edge of the bed, hand drifting towards her hip where a knife remained secure (for now).
When satisfied, Leon turned towards them. “ All clear,” he said with an encouraging nod.
Sherry could breathe again.
“ You know, I think I still need some time to get used to the couch,” Leon casually said.
Which, on its own, was a bit strange to say. But Claire understood right away. She rolled her shoulders back in an exaggerated fashion. “ Yeah,” she agreed. “ My bed was too lumpy for my taste.”
“ Sherry, would you mind if we sleep here for the night?” Leon suggested and Sherry could not have loved him anymore than she did as she emphatically nodded her head.
As he headed out to grab the pillows and blankets, Claire wrapped an arm around Sherry tight. “ You know, I'm going to leave this here,” she indicated the sheathed knife she was now placing at Sherry's night stand. “ It will be closer to you. It's sharp, so I want you to be careful if you need to use it, okay?”
In another time, Sherry would have been appalled to see such a weapon, let alone even think about using it on someone else. But things had changed. Sherry had changed. She didn't want to feel helpless again.
Claire took Sherry's hands in hers. “ I know things can be a little scary sometimes,” she quietly said. “ But we will get through it. Anything that comes our way, we will chase it away together.”
Sherry shuffled a little closer to Claire. “ Thank you,” she murmured.
Sherry's parents always denied the existence of monsters. So did other adults, downplaying and brushing Sherry off, sometimes even laughing at her. Claire and Leon were the first ones to acknowledge them, recognizing Sherry's fears. By doing that, they made Sherry realize she was safe and loved.
And even better, they were the only ones to give Sherry a means to fight back.
After all, they knew about monsters, saw them, fought them and in Claire and Leon's cases, managed to kill them.
And now, with their help, Sherry could learn to kill them too.