{"id":128,"date":"2026-08-27T18:00:53","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T18:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/horrorstories.online\/?p=128"},"modified":"2026-09-03T16:29:27","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T16:29:27","slug":"chapter-3-hide-and-seek","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/horrorstories.online\/index.php\/2026\/08\/27\/chapter-3-hide-and-seek\/","title":{"rendered":"CHAPTER 3 \u2014 HIDE-AND-SEEK"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n \n
\n \u2190 Previous Chapter<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/a>\n \n
\n Next chapter \u2192<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n \n \n
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After Rachel moved in, I became afraid of two things. The doorbell. And silence. The doorbell meant somebody wanted inside. Silence usually meant Noah was doing something the adults hadn\u2019t discovered yet. He was five. Curious in the relentless, exhausting way only five-year-olds can be. The first day, he asked if we had ice cream. The second, he wanted to know why I never opened the freezer.<\/p>\n \n

\u201cIt\u2019s broken.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cThen why does it make noise?\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cThe motor still works.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cIs it cold inside?\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cYou could open it and see.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \n

I looked at him. He looked right back. Finally I said: \u201cBecause I said so.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

Noah made a face. \u201cGrown-ups always say that.\u201d Then he ran off. I relaxed. Too soon.<\/p>\n \n

* * *<\/p>\n \n

That afternoon, Mara was mopping. I was in the bedroom trying to get Lucy to nap. Rachel had gone downstairs for cigarettes. The apartment stayed quiet for maybe three minutes. Then Noah called: \u201cUncle Evan!\u201d<\/p>\n \n

I didn\u2019t respond immediately.<\/p>\n \n

\u201cI found it!\u201d<\/p>\n \n

Something inside me dropped. \u201cFound what?\u201d<\/p>\n \n

No answer. I ran out.<\/p>\n \n

The freezer door was open. Noah stood in front of it barefoot. He wasn\u2019t screaming. He wasn\u2019t crying. He was simply staring inside with wide-eyed amazement, as if he\u2019d found the greatest hiding place in the world.<\/p>\n \n

My entire body went cold. \u201cNoah!\u201d<\/p>\n \n

I slammed the door shut. He jumped. \u201cWhy\u2019d you close it?\u201d<\/p>\n \n

I crouched and grabbed his shoulders. \u201cWhat did you see?\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cGrandpa.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

For several seconds I couldn\u2019t breathe. Mara stood behind us, pale and horrified.<\/p>\n \n

\u201cYou saw wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cYou don\u2019t even know Grandpa.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cMom showed me pictures.\u201d He pointed toward the refrigerator. \u201cThat\u2019s Grandpa.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

There was no reasonable explanation. So I chose the least reasonable one. \u201cHe\u2019s playing hide-and-seek.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

Noah\u2019s eyes lit up. \u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cWith who?\u201d<\/p>\n \n

I swallowed. \u201cYour mom.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cShe hasn\u2019t found him yet?\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cGrandpa\u2019s good.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cVery.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

He thought about it. \u201cBut it\u2019s cold.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cGrandpa doesn\u2019t mind.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cOld people don\u2019t get cold as easily.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

Mara turned away. I couldn\u2019t tell whether she was trying not to cry or trying not to scream at me. Noah looked toward the hall. \u201cCan I tell Mom?\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cNo.\u201d The answer came too sharply. He flinched. I softened my voice. \u201cIf you tell her, Grandpa loses.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cOh.\u201d That made sense to him immediately. Children might not understand death. But they understand rules. I held a finger to my lips. \u201cThis is our secret.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

Noah copied me. \u201cShh.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cEspecially don\u2019t tell your mom.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cAnd don\u2019t open the refrigerator again.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cBecause Grandpa will get caught?\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

He nodded solemnly. Then he said: \u201cGrandpa says you\u2019ll never find him.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

Every muscle in my body locked. \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \n

Noah glanced at the refrigerator. \u201cGrandpa.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cGrandpa said that to you?\u201d<\/p>\n \n

He was quiet. Then he grinned. \u201cI\u2019m just guessing.\u201d He ran away.<\/p>\n \n

I stayed crouched in front of the refrigerator. The compressor gave a soft shudder. Knock.<\/p>\n \n

I stood too fast. Mara looked at me. \u201cMotor.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

I said it immediately. I wasn\u2019t sure whether I was explaining it to her\u2014or myself.<\/p>\n \n

* * *<\/p>\n \n

After that, hide-and-seek became a set of rules. Don\u2019t open the refrigerator. Don\u2019t talk about Grandpa in front of Mom. Don\u2019t ask when he\u2019s coming out. Don\u2019t make Grandpa lose. Meanwhile, Dad\u2019s birthday got closer. Rachel asked more questions.<\/p>\n \n

\u201cWhen\u2019s he coming back?\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cBirthday\u2019s next week.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

One afternoon, her voice softened. \u201cHe can still hate me.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

I looked over. \u201cI just want him to meet Noah.\u201d For the first time since she\u2019d arrived, the hard shell around her seemed to crack. \u201cDad would probably be happy he has a grandson.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

I said nothing. Her phone buzzed. Rachel looked at the screen and declined the call. The softness vanished.<\/p>\n \n

I asked: \u201cDo you need money?\u201d<\/p>\n \n

Her hand stopped. \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cWhen have I ever needed money from you?\u201d The answer was too sharp. I let it go.<\/p>\n \n

* * *<\/p>\n \n

On Dad\u2019s birthday, I bought a few apples, a cheap cupcake and three little birthday candles. I couldn\u2019t put up a memorial. Not without explaining why. So I set everything on top of the refrigerator. I lit the candles.<\/p>\n \n

\u201cDad.\u201d My voice sounded rough. \u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

One candle went out. I relit it. A few seconds later, it went out again. The other two burned steadily. I stared.<\/p>\n \n

Mara came into the kitchen. \u201cStop relighting it.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cProbably a bad wick.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cJust stop.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cIt\u2019s his birthday.\u201d She looked at the refrigerator. Her face tightened. \u201cI don\u2019t like this.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

From the living room, Rachel called: \u201cAfter breakfast, let\u2019s go get Dad.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

My hand trembled around the lighter. Something inside me finally snapped.<\/p>\n \n

* * *<\/p>\n \n

Near noon, she asked again. \u201cWhen are we leaving?\u201d<\/p>\n \n

I sat across from her. \u201cRachel.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cI need to tell you something.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

She looked at my face. Her expression changed. \u201cWhat happened to Dad?\u201d<\/p>\n \n

I couldn\u2019t answer.<\/p>\n \n

\u201cSay it.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cHe\u2019s not in his hometown.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

Rachel stood. \u201cI knew you were\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cHe\u2019s dead.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

The room went silent.<\/p>\n \n

\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n \n

I told her. Her face drained. \u201cWhere\u2019s the body?\u201d<\/p>\n \n

I looked toward the refrigerator. Rachel followed my eyes.<\/p>\n \n

\u201cNo.\u201d Her voice turned hoarse. \u201cEvan, don\u2019t tell me\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cWe never reported it.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \n

I had no energy left to lie. \u201cHis pension.\u201d I told her everything. The $2,450. Eight months unemployed. Mara\u2019s medication. The mortgage. The first deposit already spent. I waited for Rachel to slap me. Scream. Call the police.<\/p>\n \n

Instead she sat down. Covered her face. Stayed that way for a long time.<\/p>\n \n

Finally Mara said: \u201cIf you want to yell, yell.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

Rachel lowered her hands. Her eyes were red. \u201cDid the pension come this month?\u201d<\/p>\n \n

I stared. \u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n \n

\u201cTwenty-four fifty.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

She was silent. Then: \u201cCan I have half?\u201d<\/p>\n \n

Mara whipped around. I thought I\u2019d misheard.<\/p>\n \n

Rachel looked at us with an expression that was exhausted, stubborn and desperate all at once. \u201cDad had two kids.\u201d<\/p>\n \n

On the floor, Noah looked up. At his mother. Then at the refrigerator.<\/p>\n \n

And I realized something more frightening than Rachel discovering the truth. She wasn\u2019t going to turn me in. She wanted in.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n \n \n

\n \n
\n \u2190 Previous Chapter<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/a>\n \n
\n Next chapter \u2192<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u2190 Previous Chapter Next chapter \u2192 After Rachel moved in, I became afraid of two things. The doorbell. And silence. The doorbell meant somebody wanted inside. Silence usually meant Noah was doing something the adults hadn\u2019t discovered yet. He was five. Curious in the relentless, exhausting way only five-year-olds can be. The first day, he Read More “CHAPTER 3 \u2014 HIDE-AND-SEEK”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":124,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-https-horrorstories-online-index-php-2026-08-27-grandpa-in-the-fridge"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/horrorstories.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/horrorstories.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/horrorstories.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/horrorstories.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/horrorstories.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=128"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/horrorstories.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":206,"href":"https:\/\/horrorstories.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128\/revisions\/206"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/horrorstories.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/horrorstories.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/horrorstories.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/horrorstories.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}