Late Nights

Late that night, the bed had a cold, unsettling feeling to it: like there was ice next to me. The cold reminds me of Caroline, and I shiver. The memory of her is still fresh, still stinging from the pain. Thinking of her was the same as having a wide gash and pouring alcohol on it. I still could feel her presence in the room, like she was still there. Her voice sounded like fading bells in my head, and it felt like she was whispering in my ears softly. I cling onto my ears, squeezing my eyes shut.

I wanted to escape her whispers, just leaving them behind. Her memory in the bed was overwhelming... I just can't take it anymore. I get up from the bed and head towards the door slowly, looking at the bed once more, shivering a bit in guilt. Then turning to go downstairs, I feel another shiver go down my spine. When I walk into the hallway the floor calls out in silent shrieks of agony, the silence making them seem ten times louder than normal. Looking down the stairs had always scared me, but today was different. The stairs felt like a never ending road, the ones that you could see the ends of but never actually reach the end. I go down them slowly, grabbing to the wall with each step. I make it to the bottom of the stairs and sighed in relief.

Deciding to grab a book, I sit in Father's chair, which is normally never allowed. I reach up to the bookshelf, having to stand on my tippy toes to reach the book. I then sit and read, starting to get tired like reading always did to me. My mind's absorbed by the book, and I don't notice the dark shadow behind me once more. Eyes are piercing the back of my head, like sharp blades swiftly cutting a fruit. I feel the eerie feeling of the stare and turn around to see what it was.

It's the same shadow as the night before, staring into my eyes with confidence. Its silhouette was much more obvious than before. Horns of a pair stand tall on his forehead, sharp eyes of red, and claws sharper than knives decorate his body, a dark aura surrounding him. Fear rises in me, and I immediately turn to run up the stairs, my body fumbling as I climb up them, fear absorbing my body. I look back to see him steadily following me, not even touching the ground.

"Hey, you shouldn't run...", he said in a calm, eerie voice, reaching his hand out to me. I freak out and start going up the stairs faster, almost falling. My small hands clawing at the stairs as I go, making it to the top. I then run through the second floor hallway where everyone is sleeping. 'I can't get caught, I can't get caught', I kept repeating in my head. I knew if this guy was to get me, someone would die. I ran into the bathroom, slamming the door.

The shower was the first thing I could think of, hiding in the bathtub. I duck and curl into a ball, my knees to my chest. The rust of the bath is quiet, making no noise, however, a small noise is heard. A slow knock appears at the door, almost too quiet to even hear. Knock... Knock... Knock..... I stop breathing, my mind going numb. Shivering in fear, I take my hands to my ears, trying to take out the noise. The knocking continues, and tears start strolling down my face, my 7-year-old mind going insane. I was scared, a little girl being trapped by something, yet nothing.

I look up for a moment, my vision foggy from the tears. The knocking had stopped and it was quiet, no noise was heard. I put my hands down from my head, looking around. I think it's safe so I start to get up, looking around. The aura of the room was dark, making me shiver. Turning around to look at the bathtub to check for anything, I notice a small hand appearing in the faucet of the tub, slowly crawling out. The hand became bigger, making the faucet bend. It then reaches out to me, a loud shriek coming from nowhere.

A soft wince can be heard in the bathroom, along with the small tap of a sharp object.

I stretch my back, extending my arms and legs out. I then feel the warmth of something, but it was only warm from being held. I look into my hand and find a metal black dart in my hand, and I look at it weirdly. "Why do I have a dart...?" I ask aloud, looking around the room. I didn't have any blood on me, and I sighed in relief. 'So maybe the shadowy figure had mercy on me', I thought, getting up and dusting myself off. I rub the light pink and blue bags under my eyes.

Going down the stairs, I looked around in a bit of disbelief and worry. The floor shrieked as it always did below me, the cold air smelling of morning dew. I could see the sun shining through the windows downstairs, almost welcoming me to the home. Looking down the stairs was like looking down a never ending road, that you somehow thought you could see the end of. I took my final step down the stairs and looked around the room in disbelief.

"Is.... it really gone...?", I asked myself aloud, still unsure that the demon had done nothing. I knew something was up, but just couldn't put my finger on it.

I check the kitchen and notice that Mother wasn't up yet, and I decided that I would make my own breakfast. I still have the small dart in my hand, and I set it on the counter so I can grab a pan. I went over to the kitchen and pulled out an iron skillet, slowly placing it on the counter so I didn't drop it. The weight of the thing was almost too much, but I manage to get it on the stove. I turn on the contraption and open the fidge in search of eggs. I grabbed the carton and took a few out, cracking the eggs and watching the yokes landed in the pan, sizzling from the heat.

I soon finished my eggs, putting the plate in the sink. No one had come downstairs to explore any noises or even to use the restroom upstairs. The house was just quiet, the morning sounds of outside filling the sounds of the house. Mother wasn't even up yet, and she was always up early to make everyone breakfast. She would freak if she found out if she found out I was using the kitchen without permission, but I was hungry. She wasn't down in the kitchen anyways, so I had to take matters into my own hands.

I look around the empty home, wondering what to do with myself. The eerieness of the house was too much for me, it was just too quiet. Seeing my coat and boots by the door, with water droplets still decorating the surface of them from yesterday. I come up with the idea of going outside, just to get away from the suffocating house. Playing would be a good idea, just maybe not with my friends, I'm still mad at them for not believing me.

I walk over to the door and slip on my boots, their bright red color shimmering in the small droplets. I stare at them for a moment and the color reminds me of Caroline, her body decorated in the bright beautiful color. I shake my head, trying to ignore the thoughts as I grab my jacket and drape it over my shoulders. Sighing, I open the door and look back into the house one more time before turning and leaving the house.

The house was still quiet when I returned inside around two in the afternoon. However, entering the door I could immediately see 5 of my family members sitting in the living room, grim expressions cover their once happy faces. I counted them: Father, Mother, Tammie, Sam, and one out of the two twins, Timmy. Timmy and the other twin, Anthony, were about 11 years old, both a bit skinny and very pale. They had Father's brown hair like I did, but Timmy had green eyes like Mother with skin decorated in freckles while Anthony had blue eyes like Father with clear skin. Timmy was in the living room, but Anthony wasn't. I looked around I'm search of him; no luck. I finally slip my coat off my back and hang it up, slipping off my squeaky boots and watching into the living room slowly.

Suddenly, as if it was timed to this exact rate, everyone turned their head to look at me. I jumped, their expressions absolutely horrifying. At least to me, they were. "U-uh, is everything alright....?", I ask, staying at a good distance away from them all. They had said nothing, but Mother's eyes widened with realization.

Tears started strolling down her face, and she started screaming at me, "Damned child!! What is wrong with you to be doing acts such as these?!!" She got up and started to stomp over to me, but Tammie stopped her.

"Mother, please," she pleaded, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't 'mother, please', me! This child is possessed! Dangerous! A monster!", she continued screaming, pointing angrily at me. Tears were running down her face like small rivers, nonstop.

"M-mother...", I say, looking at her wide eyed. Tears had started welling up in my eyes, my body trembling with fear. If I was scared of the ghost, I was absolutely terrified by Mother. Her screams were forwarded to me, and I have no idea why she's even screaming.

"Go see for yourself, in your brothers room. Go look at your work and say you're not ashamed!!", she yelled again, pointing up at the stairs and glaring at me.

I nod quickly, running up the stairs in fear. Whatever it was she wanted me to see, it had to be less scary than her. I make it to the door of my twin brothers and knock. No answer. I try knocking again, waiting for a second. Still no answer. I get annoyed and open up the door, barging into the room.

"Anthony, why aren't you-", I stop my sentence, staring at Anthony. He was pinned against the wall by his clothes and skin, darts decorating his body. His eyes were rolled back and a single, black dart stood at the middle of his forehead, a small stream of blood coming from the gap.