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| Fear |
Have you ever been scared? I’m not talking about the kind of fear you get when something startles you. I’m talking about the kind where your heart beats so loudly it’s the only sound you can hear. The kind where all you want to do is run, but your legs can barely hold you up. The kind where you’re sure you’ll never survive. That is fear, and I have a story for you.
The wind grabbed my hair and flung it around my face. As I stood in my backyard, breathing in the air, I waited for the storm to approach. The temperature dropped and I shivered at the change. It’s late and I know I should go inside soon. I stood a few more minutes in the rapidly disappearing light before turning and slowly walking back towards my house. I didn’t want to leave the storm before it even started, but I know dinner will be soon and my family will be looking for me.
Entering the door I noticed that I couldn’t smell anything but the fast approaching rain. I wandered over towards the stove and saw it was cold, no food warming in the oven or covered on the stove. I wondered if I missed dinner somehow, or if maybe tonight was the night we were to go out to eat. I glanced at the clock I saw it was 6pm. This was the time when my house should be the busiest. My father returns from work then, my mother always rushing around the kitchen, and my brother wandering around complaining that he’s hungry. Yet, there was no one around and the house was completely silent. The only noise I heard was the howling of the wind outside as the storm finally reached my house.
I’m not concerned yet. Sometimes my parents run errands. Perhaps my brother had an appointment somewhere, or my father was late, stuck at work on some project. It could be my mother didn’t feel like cooking and is instead picking up some greasy food from the restaurant down the street. Perhaps they are just being quiet, and any minute now they will all come bursting into the kitchen, dashing around as they hurry to catch up on their normal routine. Perhaps, but somehow I knew today was different.
I sat down at the table; a growing feeling in my stomach threatened to emerge. I told myself I’m just being silly, nothing was wrong. This wasn’t the first time they’ve all been gone at this time. But they never told me where they went. They always tell me! Heart pounding, I tried to ignore those inner voices of mine. I started to hum, but my voice betrayed me, the song dying before it even reaches my lips. My father’s keys are missing. He never came home! I stood up and started to pace around. You’re mother can’t be buying food; she never buys food except for special occasions. Today is just a Tuesday! I glanced around the room. The furniture lovingly picked out by my mom suddenly didn’t look so soft and inviting. It looked almost evil with its sharp edges and deep colors. What about your brother? He’s always home now. He’s not allowed to go out during the week! I was walking faster and faster now, wearing a groove into the floor as I circled around. My hands were clenched, my fingernails pressing small half-moon shapes into my palms. Something wasn’t right. Something was wrong! This wasn’t normal! Nothing about this was normal. What was going on? Where was everyone? Why was I the only one here? What happened? Faster and faster I turned, each time my blood beat a little faster in my veins. Suddenly a loud crash shook the house straight down to the foundation, and the lights went out. Frozen, I realized I’m alone in the dark.
My heart threatened to jump straight out of my chest. Hands shaking, I felt around until I reached the all purpose drawer where my family just throws random things in. I’m sure there was a candle in here somewhere and sure enough my fingers closed around the familiar shape of one of my mother’s candles. Outside the storm raged, dropping rain faster and faster upon the roof. Lightning flashed and thunder so loud I could feel it deep in my bones roared. I prayed the lights would soon come back on as I continued my search of the drawer, this time for matches.
Soon I stood in the kitchen; the pale light of the candle illuminated me, but left shadows a few feet away. My feet felt separate from my body and I hoped they wouldn’t give out as I slowly walked over to the nearest chair. I needed to sit. I made it over to the table and started to pull out a chair when I realized I heard something upstairs. It could be my family! Maybe they were home after all, and just were so tired they needed to sleep. Excited, I raced up the steps and into my brother’s room ready to pounce on him. No one was there. As I stood in the middle of his room I heard a rustling from his closet. He must be hiding there! I grinned as I walked over to his closet and threw open the door ready to shout boo at him. As soon as the door was opened something rushed out and down the stairs. My blood turned cold and goose bumps appeared over every inch of my body. My heart, which had slowed its rhythm, suddenly started to beat so fast I couldn’t even feel the difference in beats. I was frozen. I only caught a glimpse of what was in the closet, the light from my candle kept most of it in the dark. It was only a glimpse, but I knew it wasn’t my brother. It wasn’t my mother. It wasn’t my father. It seemed to be the size of a large dog, but we don’t have a large dog. So what was it?
I wanted to hide. I wanted to just close myself up in the closet and hold the door closed. I couldn’t. My body had a mind of its own. Against my will I found myself walking out of my brother’s room and back down the stairs to the kitchen. I knew whatever had been in that closet was downstairs waiting for me, somewhere. I didn’t want to go! I fought myself! My legs, however, just kept walking, one step, then another, then another. I grasped at the walls, trying to hang on, but I couldn’t get a hold of anything. Soon I was at the bottom of the stairs. My blood was rushing so fast now it echoed in my ears. Closer and closer I came to the kitchen, each step causing me to panic a little more. I tried to run away. I tried to get my wicked feet to stop. I tried whatever I could think of, but soon I stood in the middle of my kitchen.
I looked around, trying to see if anything was hiding in the shadows made from my candle. Nothing seemed to be there, but I knew better. It was here, whatever it was, and it was waiting for me. My feet had stopped moving on their own once I had reached the center of my kitchen, and I figured now was my chance. I would run. I’d open the doors up and run straight into the storm. I’d run to my neighbor’s house and hide there, with other people. I had to get out. I needed to get out. So I started to run. I got as far as the pantry door when my feet once again betrayed me. They would go no farther. That’s when I knew. Whatever had come from upstairs was in the pantry, right on the other side of the door. Just two inches separated me from whatever it was.
I could no longer hear the storm outside. While it was reaching its peak, the blood pounding in my head, and my heart beating faster than I thought was possible, covered any other sound I might have been able to hear. My goose bumps had grown so large, every hair on my body stood straight up. My palms were sweaty, and I had pressed my nails into my hands so hard that in places I was actually cut. My legs shook, I felt faint. I knew what was coming next. I was going to open the door.
One hand reached for the door. I didn’t want this. Closer and closer to the knob, I tried to pull my hand away. I didn’t want this! My hand closed around the knob. I didn’t want this! Slowly I turned it. I didn’t want this! Then the door was open.
I found myself staring into darkness. It seemed as if my pantry was full of fog so thick it was impossible to see one foot in front of me. Nothing moved except the flicker of the candle I held. Then I saw it. Two eyes, red as blood, stared right at me. Each passing second seemed to make them glow a little brighter. My heart stopped still. I dropped the candle which went out when it hit the floor. It was dark again, and all I could see now were those eyes, those blood red eyes.
That's when the growling started...
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Posted by Heatherlyn on 2009-01-17 11:39:45 | Rating: | Views: 75
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