Chapter Three: Blue Lightning

I wake with a start, flinching and gasping as if someone had been choking me. I feel my throat, but no other hands are anywhere near it. It feels completely normal and painless. But I know something is off.

The one thing I notice is that it's freezing, and I can feel my feet turn deadweight. They've become so cold that numbness has settled over them, and my body is covered in goosebumps. I rub my legs and feet, trying to bring back life to them.

A very loud bang echoes throughout the house, almost sounding like a rumble of thunder—but within the house. I can feel my bed rattle, the box-springs squeaking like old joints. My heart races and muscles tense. I knew something was wrong. It reminds me of...

My entire body buzzes with uncontrolled fear. It's apparent in my breathing, the chilled numbness of my skin, and the intensely fast heart pounding in my chest.

Someone is in the house.

I squint my eyes around the room to see any sign of an intruder; but it's no use. I can barely see the silhouette of my hand out in front of me. As I move my legs to swing them off the side of the bed, the mattress creaks again, stopping any movement from me. I close my eyes tightly, praying that I haven't been heard. The fact that no one else in the house has reacted to the thunder is gives me bad vibes. This shook the entire house, like an earthquake. But I felt it from within, that it was not coming from outside, but inside the house. Aunt Autumn of all people would have woken up immediately.

I can try and call out to my cousin, but I know keeping quiet is the best option. Slowly, I move my hand out and feel around for my phone. If I can just move without the bed creaking! My fingertips meet the edge of plastic and the hard cover of the device screen. I unplug the charger from the slot, leaving the cord to sit gently on top of the dresser.

Hsssss.

My mouth falls open immediately after hearing another odd noise. It sounds like a snake hissing. Using my phone as a light, I move it around the room, scared to see anything. Nothing seems to be out of order and there is no snake on the floor—at least from my view. Something, on the other hand, catches my attention:

Blanche is missing from her bed.

"Blanche?" I whisper, feeling both worried and relieved at the same time. Maybe she is just in the bathroom? Or...

Was her head cut off and sitting on the floor in the living room?

The thought causes me to shudder uncontrollably. Tears pool over my eyes, but I fight them back—now is not the time to cry. Blanche might need me, and I'm wasting time.

As I sit up, I make sure to get off the bed as gently as I can; but the mattress still creaks. The silence of the house is deafening. I can imagine my parents' killer hiding in the shadows, listening to the sound of me breathing, waiting to end it.

Investigating the bathroom, I find it unoccupied. I turn away, heading out the door towards the stairs. The silence continues. Just the sound of my cold feet padding against the hardwood floor is heard. I am expecting to step in blood, but nothing of the sort happens. I'm honestly very relieved about that.

Walking down the stairs, I try to remember how to go down them by memory. It's pitch-black in here, and I'd rather not use my phone for lighting. That's basically like turning on a lamp in a dark room—a room filled with moths.

Wouldn't Blanche have turned on a light to find her way around? Paranoia. I can feel it crawl up over my shoulder and introduce itself; or wake from its slumber as I've become quite accustomed to the feeling. I am dripping in so much sweat that my t-shirt and shorts feel stuck to my skin.

As I near the end of the stairs, I notice a shimmering blue light from the living room. I don't know how I hadn't seen it earlier, but it was such a dark blue that it blended in with the dark. A red mist travels in the air as well, and I'm left totally stunned.

"Blanche? What..." I stop dead in my tracks.

There stands my cousin, with her phone in one hand, staring at the painting from my house. But this isn't the only alarming sight. A transparent, red smoke is leaking out of the canvas. Within seconds, the mist turns thick, clouding around Blanche to the point where I can only see her lower legs.

"Blanche?!" I run up to her, thinking she must have set the canvas on fire somehow.

"No, help me! Mom!" Blanche screams at the top of her lungs, causing my heart to stab painfully in fear. I feel paralyzed and helpless. I know in this moment that I'm somehow making up for not saving my parents. I missed that opportunity, and this time I'll take this one.

"I got you!" I push forward into the red mist, not caring if I get burned in the process. Blanche is all that matters at this point. Grabbing her by the shoulders, I pull back; but she refuses to move.

"Drop the painting, Blanche!" I try shoving it away from her.

"Girls?!" Aunt Autumn runs towards us.

"Mom! Rayne!" Blanche shouts, looking panicked. Her body refuses to move, as if she's trapped in a spider's web and paralyzed.

I hold on to her, pulling her back with all the strength I can muster. But fate has other plans this night.

A man's face suddenly appears from the mist, startling all of us. His eyes are completely black, devoid of any white. They seem to reflect the scene around him, a swirl of reflections scatter over his very large orbs. I can see my face in them, and I feel as if he is looking at me, but not really. There is no humanity or rationality in those depths. Its all sick and twisted, and I sense a danger there. He is not here to play.

He moves his head to the side, and we all shriek at the sight of him—half of his face is ripped off. He looks like a zombie taken over by a demon. His tongue, around a foot long, slips out of his mouth and licks Blanche's face. We stare, not knowing how to react. I gulp, watching as the scene unfolds before me. My hands are still tightly clasped over Blanche's shoulders, and I can feel such a coldness from the creature that my hands go numb. I can see the breath flowing from my mouth in quick, mini bursts of air. I'm not even breathing in oxygen properly, just passing it out like a leaking pipe.

Blanche screams crazily, her head nearly knocking back into my face as she tries to escape. Even I stand stunned, not able to comprehend what I am seeing. Aunt Autumn is wailing from behind, standing still and not trying to step in. Even though I feel the same way, I know Blanche needs me.

"Let go!" I hiss, grabbing Blanche by the arms and ignoring the face in front of us.

The creature's eyes increase in size, and its mouth opens wide in a snarl. Fangs, what resemble a shark's, fills its mouth.

"Blanche, no!" I feel her falling forward—or more like being pulled.

"It has me!" Blanche lets out a massive cry as half her body is hauled towards the monster. I guess this successfully forces Aunt Autumn to come to her senses.

"I've got you, baby!" She grabs Blanche's legs as I do the same, but to her waist. The rest of Blanche is hidden in the mist. The canvas appears to be floating in the air as Blanche no longer has a hold on it.

I flinch as a blue streak of lightning whips out from the red mist. It misses me by an inch; but Aunt Autumn isn't as lucky. My eyes widen in terror as blood spurts out onto my face, covering me in its thick substance. It tastes like copper and has a wet and muggy scent.

I cry out in horror.

Her neck has been sliced open by the force, completely severing it from her body. She hadn't even let out a scream—it was that swift.

"Aunt Autumn! Somebody, please help us, oh my God!" At this point I am on the floor, shaking in agony. I don't have the strength to stand. A loud noise vibrates from the red cloud above me, sounding as if a helicopter is flying through it. It's so loud I plug my ears.

A sudden movement catches my eye. Aunt Autumn's body is now levitating above the ground, floating into the mist. Into the painting.

I see a flash of blue again, but I pass out before catching what it is.

I couldn't save them.

END OF CHAPTER THREE