Chapter 4: We Have To Go To The Road

Kelly rushed home, the day's grind forgotten. A cold dread settled in as she walked past the ubiquitous posters plastered across every street corner, each one bearing Anna's face, a chilling reminder of the nightmare unfolding. The setting sun cast long shadows, reflecting the growing darkness within her. She felt a knot of guilt, a desperate urge to do something, anything, to help her sister.

Inside her home, the silence was heavy. She sank onto the sofa, the posters looming in her mind, and a deep ache pulsed in her chest. Suddenly, a sharp rap echoed from the front door, followed by another, insistent and loud. She jumped up, heart pounding, but found nothing. Then, a piercing scream pierced the quiet, a scream filled with raw agony.

Kelly froze, her eyes darting around the empty street. The scream came again, closer this time, laced with a terrifying desperation. A cold hand squeezed her heart, but something, a stubborn, primal instinct, drove her forward.

She stepped onto the road, each footfall a challenge against the creeping fear. She shielded her eyes against the darkness, trying to pinpoint the source of the screams. The street was deserted, the only sound a low, guttural voice, punctuated by sobs.

Her senses sharpened, she followed the sound, her pulse a frantic drum against her ribs. As she neared the voice, she saw a man, masked and shadowy, holding a girl in a tight grip. The girl's face was hidden, her body shuddering, but something about her silhouette made Kelly's breath catch in her throat.

She searched for a weapon, a rock, anything, but the street was barren. The man's voice, thick and menacing, grated against her nerves. The girl's whimpers were like a knife twisting in her heart.

"Hey!" Kelly yelled, her voice a strained tremor. "Stop! Why are you hurting her?"

The man's voice stopped. He turned slowly, his silhouette against the night, a menacing, silent figure. His hand moved, the glint of a knife catching the streetlight, and he pressed it against the girl's neck.

"Go away," he hissed, his voice barely a whisper.

Kelly took a hesitant step forward, a raw instinct pushing her. "Please, don't hurt her," she pleaded, her voice shaking. "Just take a breath. Let her go."

The man's gaze shifted to Kelly, a cold, calculating look that sent shivers down her spine. He then began to drag the blade across the girl's neck, a slow, deliberate cut.

The sound of flesh tearing was sickeningly sharp, cutting through the night like a shard of glass. Anna screamed, a choked cry of pain that sent a wave of horror washing over Kelly. "Sister, don't come closer… This is between him and me. Don't worry, just go... Go far away, or he'll come after you! Run, Kelly, run away!"

The girl's voice, though muffled by fear, held a note of urgency. As Kelly's eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could see the girl's face, pale and contorted in pain. In that fleeting glimpse, a horrifying truth dawned on her. It was Anna.

Fear turned to icy rage, burning through her. She had to help her sister, no matter the cost. She took a step closer, her heart pounding against her ribs like a trapped bird.

"Anna," she whispered, her voice a raw tremor.

The man's grip tightened around Anna's neck, his voice a chilling whisper. "You dare try to interfere?"

Kelly didn't answer. She watched as the blade glinted in the dim streetlight, and the masked man's hand tightened around the knife, ready to strike.

The man lunged, the blade flashing through the air. He cut Anna's throat, a swift, brutal motion that ended with a sickening gurgle. Then, with a feral snarl, he turned his attention to Kelly. He lunged, his mask a twisted, grotesque grin in the dim light.

Kelly screamed, a primal cry of terror as she scrambled back, tripping and falling. The man moved with terrifying speed, his blade a deadly weapon in the darkness.

Suddenly, the world dissolved into a blur of chaos.

When Kelly openedher eyes, the room was dimly lit, John's worried face inches from hers. He was shaking her gently, his voice laced with concern.

"You're okay, Kelly. It was just a nightmare. You were screaming. I had to wake you up."

Kelly sat up, her body trembling, her heart pounding in her chest. She felt the lingering chill of fear, the memory of the masked man's attack still vivid in her mind.

"That wasn't a dream," she whispered, her voice hoarse.

John's gaze softened. He reached for her hand, his touch a grounding presence in the chaotic aftermath of the nightmare. "You're safe, Kelly. You're home."

"No, John, it's real. I saw it, I heard it. It was Anna, and..." Her voice cracked. "We have to go to the road. The road where it happened."

John's brows furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

Kelly looked at him, her eyes filled with a desperate urgency. "The road where I was abducted. The road with the abandoned house. The road that leads to the Life and Death Bar."

"No one goes down that road," John said, his voice laced with disbelief. "Why would you even want to go there? What are you hiding from me, Kelly?"

"I'm not hiding anything," she said, her voice firm. "But I have to go. For Anna, for myself. We have to go to the road."

"Okay," John said, his expression serious. "We'll go. It's getting late. Let us go fast because it's getting dark." He stood up, and Kelly followed, her gaze unwavering.

They locked the house and started walking by foot. Kelly was no longer afraid. John was with her. She wrapped her arms around his, seeking solace in his presence.

They walked in silence for a while, the streetlights casting long shadows on the pavement. John, sensing her unease, finally broke the silence. "Okay, Kelly, would you mind if you tell me about the dream you had before at the sofa?"

Kelly hesitated, then shared the nightmare with him, her voice trembling as she recounted the horrifying details.

John listened intently, his expression grim. "There is a message for you from that nightmare, Kelly," he said, his voice contemplative.

"What is it? I don't understand," Kelly said, her gaze fixed on the road ahead.

"'Do not interfere between us. It's between him and me' – that's what she said, right? So, this means you don't have to do what you're thinking now. And the man said, 'Next, it's you!' So, this means if you interfere and try to do something, he will come to you."

Kelly fell into thought, a knot of worry twisting in her stomach. There was no way that Anna knew the man before, was there?

"But she's my sister, John," she whispered, her voice laden with grief. "When he was tearing her limb by limb, I felt like he was slaying me too. I felt her pain that time. Her eyes were saying something, while she was talking something else. She was telling me to come and save her. Her eyes were still looking at me when she collapsed on the ground. Though the man seems too heartless and cold, his heart is ice that can never melt. I don't understand anything, John."

John could only offer a silent nod, his heart aching for her. "Whatever you do, I'm next to you," he said, his voice firm. "Just don't do anything without telling me."

Kelly smiled gratefully, a flicker of hope in her eyes.

They reached the road. The houses were dark, silent sentinels in the encroaching night. They moved cautiously, their flashlights cutting through the darkness, casting long, eerie shadows.

John's unease grew with every step. "Kelly, I'm not feeling well moving around this street. Don't you think we should go back? There's not even a cat moving here."

Kelly, however, was lost in her own thoughts. She had spotted a faint glow in one of the houses, a single window illuminating the darkness.

"Kelly?" John's voice was laced with concern. He touched her hand gently, but Kelly didn't respond.

"Earth to Kelly! Where are you lost? Can you even hear me? What are you looking for?" John said, trying to see what Kelly was staring at.

"Did you see what I see?" Kelly said, her voice a mere whisper.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking now?" John said, his voice edged with fear. "If it is yes, please don't dare to go there. We don't know what's in there. What if something's inside?"

Kelly turned her gaze to John, her eyes filled with an unwavering resolve. "Trust me," she said, her voice firm. "Nothing harmful is there. Don't worry. Let's just go close to there."

She pulled John by his hand, her pace brisk. They walked towards the lighted house, the only moving figures in the desolate street. The sound of their footsteps echoed, a rhythmic beat against the oppressive silence.

Kelly stopped abruptly, her hand reaching out to John. "Why did you turn it off?" he asked, confusion etched on his face.

"I think we have to," Kelly said, her voice a hushed whisper. "If that man in that house sensed us, he'll run away. And moving with the flashlight isn't safe around here."

"Did you say a man?" John's voice was sharp. "You know there's a man out here? Huh?"

Kelly's eyes narrowed, her expression unreadable. "We need to be careful," she said, her voice low. "The danger is closer than we think."

She turned her gaze back towards the lighted window, a silent plea in her eyes. "John," she said, her voice soft. "Trust me. This is our only chance."

John looked at her, his face a canvas of apprehension and uncertainty. He was afraid, he could see that. But he also saw the determination in Kelly's eyes, a fierce, unwavering resolve that mirrored his own.

"Alright," he said, his voice laced with a mixture of fear and resolve. "But we're doing this together. No matter what."

Kelly smiled, a brief, fleeting glimmer of hope in the darkness. Then, with a shared nod, they turned back towards the lighted house, the night air thick with anticipation and the scent of danger. They had entered a dangerous game, and there was no turning back.

Kelly stopped abruptly, her hand reaching out to John. "Why did you turn it off?" he asked, confusion etched on his face.

"I think we have to," Kelly said, her voice a hushed whisper. "If that man in that house sensed us, he'll run away. And moving with the flashlight isn't safe around here."

"Did you say a man?" John's voice was sharp. "You know there's a man out here? Huh?"

Kelly's eyes narrowed, her expression unreadable. "We need to be careful," she said, her voice low. "The danger is closer than we think."

She turned her gaze back towards the lighted window, a silent plea in her eyes. "John," she said, her voice soft. "Trust me. This is our only chance."

John looked at her, his face a canvas of apprehension and uncertainty. He was afraid, he could see that. But he also saw the determination in Kelly's eyes, a fierce, unwavering resolve that mirrored his own.

"Alright," he said, his voice laced with a mixture of fear and resolve. "But we're doing this together. No matter what."

Kelly smiled, a brief, fleeting glimmer of hope in the darkness. Then, with a shared nod, they turned back towards the lighted house, the night air thick with anticipation and the scent of danger. They had entered a dangerous game, and there was no turning back.

They kept walking and walking in the dark, their footsteps echoing in the stillness. Finally, they reached the house. The door, made of weathered wood, stood open, a dark maw inviting them in. The light from the upstairs room cast a long, eerie shadow across the porch. They could see a dark silhouette in the room, a shadowy figure that moved slowly, like a ghost in the flickering light.

"What are we going to do?" John said, his voice tight with apprehension.

"We're going to open the door and get inside," Kelly said, her eyes fixed on the door knob.

"What? Don't you think we knock like everybody does and get in?" John asked, his confusion growing.

"If we knocked, he or she will hide," Kelly said, a smirk playing on her lips. "So, we're going to open it and surprise them. What do you think?"

John couldn't understand what was going on in her head. "You're becoming cruel and mysterious after that nightmare," he mumbled, but it was enough for Kelly to hear.

She tried the doorknob, and to her luck, it turned smoothly. The creaky hinges groaned in protest as she pushed the door open, a soft, ominous sound that echoed through the empty house. They froze, both of them holding their breath, expecting the masked man to appear from the shadows. But nothing happened.

Kelly motioned her finger to John, a silent signal. "Release your shoe," she whispered. John, confused, did as she instructed. They slipped off their shoes and placed them carefully beside the door, their movements cautious and silent.

Then, they entered the house.

The downstairs was plunged in darkness, but the light from the upstairs room cast a dim glow, illuminating the shadowy spaces. John, his grip tightening on a stick he'd found on the ground, clung to Kelly's side.

"Kelly, I'm feeling like there's a ghost in the house or a devil or something related to it," he whispered, his voice laced with fear. "I know I won't get out of here alive. So please, let's leave this house and walk to our home peacefully."

"Zip your mouth shut, John," Kelly snapped, her voice sharp. "Let me concentrate."

She headed towards the stairs, her steps deliberate. John, confused and scared, followed, clutching his stick for dear life. He looked left and right, his eyes darting through the gloom, expecting to see the man from the nightmare emerge at any moment.

Kelly glanced back at John, seeing his trembling form. "Uh! Come on John, come with me," she whispered, her tone impatient.

They reached the lighted room and Kelly pressed her ear to the door, listening intently for any sound. There was nothing but silence.

She thought for a moment. Maybe no one was in the house. Maybe they'd forgotten to switch off the lights when they left. But she'd seen the shadow, so she knew someone was there.

She motioned for John to stay behind her. She wanted to be the first one through the door, just in case something lurked on the other side.

John, his eyes wide with fear, remained behind her, clutching his stick for dear life, his gaze darting from side to side.

Kelly touched the doorknob and turned it. The lock clicked open.

"What bullshit is this?" John muttered under his breath. "How could someone leave his house unlocked when he's living in such an abandoned house around him?"

Kelly opened the door slowly, letting it creak open just enough to peek inside. The room was empty.

To her left was a dresser, its surface covered in dust. A television sat on its stand, the screen dark and lifeless. A bed, unmade and covered in a worn blanket, sat against the wall.

Nothing else.

Kelly couldn't believe it. She looked at John, expecting to see shock or relief on his face. Instead, she found him standing there, his eyes wide, his grip tightening on the stick. He was sweating, his face pale and drawn.

"Kelly?" he whispered, his voice trembling.

She nodded, her eyes still scanning the room.

'I should probably see inside' Kelly thought as she entered the room and let her guard down. When

Suddenly, a loud thud echoed through the room.