I tried. I tried running as fast as I could. My legs were trembling beneath me. My breath and footsteps became a rhythm, as I raced for my life. Steady, and heavy to the ear, tap, breath, breath, tap. The once, near sounding paces behind me were no more. I stopped. So did everything else. Ring! Ring! Ring! My heart dropped. No, not again. I knew what would happen when I answered my cell, but I answered it anyway. Tears strained down my face, as I felt the cold hands wrap around my neck. The word, “hello” didn’t even come out with my last breath.

One day earlier…

“ I know, I know, I hate my parents.” I sighed into my cell. I was talking to my best friend, Tory Mitchell.

“Aren’t you supposed to be off your phone at ten?” she asked right when I looked at my clock, as if on cue.

“Yeah, I guess, but I’ll let them come up and get it from me.” I replied as a small grin formed at the corners of my lips.

“Micheyle, why do you always do that?” Tory sighed.

“Do what?” I asked offended.

“Mess with your parents! You always get on their nerves. You just love to make them mad.” She explained with a hint of pity for my parents. I mean, yeah, I kind of do always get on their nerves- but they totally deserve it!

“No I don’t,” I lied. “Besides, they are so mean! They-”

“Whatever, Michelye. Well I gotta go, I’ll let you fight with your parents. See you tomorrow at school.” She interrupted, though I could hear a smile in her voice.

“Alright, Tory, bye.” Click.

I waited, practicing what I would say to my parents when they would come up to get my phone. I would say, I’m fifteen years old already, and I shouldn’t have to turn in my phone, and that I’m not that stupid to be talking on the phone all night. And if all else fails, I’ll just tell them that they’re ruining my life as a teenager.

So I waited. And waited. And waited, until finally, I fell asleep…

Ring! Ring! Ring!

“Ah!” I exclaimed, waking up from my slumber. Before answering I noticed my curtains were open, revealing a dark, and starry night. The clouds blocking the moon, were enough to give me chills. I hated nights like this. Come to think of it, my curtains weren’t open earlier.

I pressed talk hesitantly after reading the caller ID, which read, “UKNOWN NAME””.

“Hello?”

At first, all I heard was heavy breathing. Strike one.

“Downstairs.” A hoarse voice breathed. It was creepy enough to send the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up.

“What?” I asked unsteadily.

Click. Beep, beep, beep. Strike two.

What is this? I thought. I checked my clock. 12:30 am. Why hadn’t my parents come up yet? They couldn’t have fallen asleep or forgotten, they never have. I stayed quiet to listen for the T.V. that was always on, since my parents love catching the late night shows… Nothing. Nothing at all. Strike three.

That’s it, I grabbed my phone and headed downstairs. The stairway’s light was off (which it never was), giving the house an eerie feeling. The stairs moaned as I stepped on them one by one. When I finally got to the bottom, it was pitch black. My heart was a hammer against my fragile chest. Slowly, I turned on the light switch.

My heart dropped, like a bowling ball on concrete.

“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!” I screamed bloody murder, as soon as light flooded the room. There, lying on the floor, were my hateful parents, lying side by side.

My throat stung, and I choked down some sobs, but couldn’t keep them back. I walked towards their bodies. I looked about the room, trying to see what I could through my tear-filled eyes. I was crying uncontrollably right now, and my whole self was shaking as if I were freezing. Blood was splattered all around the room.

When I looked at my parents, I couldn’t stand what I saw. My mom’s pale pretty face was blood stained, and beaten horribly. Her blonde hair was now red. My dad’s strong face was crushed in completely, making it looked deformed.

“Urgh!” I turned and vomited. I finished, and sat down between their mutilated bodies. I was sitting in a pool of their blood, but at that point, I didn’t care. I just waited for a miracle to happen, and maybe, just maybe, they would come back to life. Stupid, yes, but I just wanted my parents to come back.

I sat there and cried. I cried for what seemed like forever and a day, hugging their lifeless bodies.

After a while, my back pocket rang.

“Hello?” I sniffled into the phone.

It was quiet.

“Hello?” I repeated.

“Two down.” That same hoarse voiced breathed once again into the phone.

“Who are you?” I screamed.

Click. Beep, beep, beep.

“No!” I cried, slamming my phone down. Why? Why my parents?

I got up, taking one last glance at my parents, and then I ran. I ran as fast as my feet would carry me to the one place that I knew I would be okay at. I ran through the darkness of the night, thinking over and over again about finding my parents lifeless bodies. I couldn’t believe it. Part of me was telling myself that I was just dreaming and none of this ever happened, but then I would look down at my blood-stained clothes, and knew none of this was a dream.

I finally arrived at the house.

“Tom! Tom!” I hollered. I didn’t care how late at night it was, or what his parents would say, I just kept on banging on the door, until finally he opened the door.

“Micheyle! What the hel-” he stopped, and looked me up and down. His eyes widened. “What happened?”

I burst out crying, falling into his arms. The tears found their way make into my eyes once more. “Tom!”

“What happened?” he asked, pulling me away to get another look at me.

“My parents, they- they-” I couldn’t keep myself from stuttering.

“Tom?” his mom called out, making her way towards the door. “Tom, what’s this all abo- Oh my gosh!” she yelled once she saw that I was soaked in blood. “Honey, what happened?” she put a hand over her mouth. It looked as if she were trying to keep herself from vomiting.

I started sobbing again.

“Come inside, and we’ll get you cleaned up.” She said, ushering me inside.

“What happened?” she asked again.

I explained what happened slowly, and steadily. Mr. Franks, Tom’s dad, came downstairs too. I was shaking the whole entire time in Tom’s arms that were wrapped comfortingly around me. They eventually called the cops, and let them know what happened. I stayed at the house with Tom until his parents came back. I couldn’t bear to see me parents bodies like that anymore. I took a bath, cleaning off the blood that soaked through my clothes and onto my skin.

I finished, changing into some of Tom’s clothes that he let me borrow. I got a toothbrush and started to brush my teeth, when my badly shaking hands, dropped the item.

“Oh, great,” I mumbled, bending down to get it. When I came back up to look into the mirror, a dark figure was behind me, smiling menacingly into the mirror, staring right at me. I turned around as fast as I could, ready to attack… No one was behind me. Okay, I’m just flipping out. But when I looked down at the floor, it was stained with muddy footprints that weren’t there before. I let that slide. Obviously, I was hallucinating.

“You alright?” Tom asked, setting up by bed downstairs. He was going to sleep downstairs with me so I wouldn’t be so scared.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” I said, unsure of whether I was alright or not.

“Really?” he asked again.

“Well, to be honest, I’m not sure. I mean, that call, ‘two down’ that’s just scaring the heck out of me. What if he’s going to kill more people?” I questioned, fear all but hidden from my voice.

“He’s not going to kill anyone else. The police are out for him. By the way, I called Tory for you.” He reassured me as he laid down on the floor on the little bed that he made for us.

“Oh, okay thanks. But I hope so, Tom, I hope so.” I said, lying down next to him. The night took me away in his arms, and fell away in a dream.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

My phone went off again, waking me up once more, and I thought maybe it was Tory calling me. What would I tell her? Tom called her though, why would she be calling this early in the morning.

“Hello?” I answered drowsily.

Heavy breathing. Not good. Not good at all.

“H-hello?” I gulped.

“Sweet dreams.” The familiar sounding hoarse voice breathed.

“What?” I asked, heart pounding. This couldn’t be happening again. Tom said it wouldn’t! No!
Click. Beep, beep, beep.

No, it couldn’t be. It just couldn’t! “Tom!” I exclaimed, shaking his shoulders. He was turned around, so I couldn’t see his face very well. “Tom!”

I rolled him over, trying anxiously to wake him up.

“AH!” I screamed. His chest was drenched with blood. His neck was cut open, with his white t-shirt being turned crimson. I placed one hand over my mouth, and one on the floor. It made a gross “squish” sound, and I looked to see that I just dipped my hand in Tom’s blood that soaked the blankets. His bright blue eyes were wide open, and now stared up at me.

“TOM!” I cried. The tears poured down my face, as I rested my head on his chest. I gasped roughly, sitting up. I had to tell his parents.

“Mrs. Franks!!!” I screamed. “Mrs. Franks!”

I made my way up to her room, screaming and crying the whole way. What I saw when I walked into her and her husband’s room, I couldn’t believe. There, laying half on, and half off the bed, were their bodies. Necks, both slit.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

My heart dropped, and my body heated up. Slowly, I pressed talk.

“Hello?” I sobbed, knowing what would come.

“Five down, one to go. Outside.”

“Wait! Why are you doing this?” I screamed, before he could hang up.

Nothing but a cold, rough, laughter filled my ears.

Click. Beep, beep, beep.

I ran outside as fast as I could.

“Micheyle!” I heard a voice call. It sounded like Tory’s. I turned around and found her racing after me. “Micheyle! Are you alright?”

“Tory, I-” I stopped. Behind her was that same dark figure, tall, and shadowed, that I saw in the mirror. No. Not Tory.

“TORY! WATCH OUT BEHIND YOU!” I screamed.

She gave me a puzzled look, and slowly turned around. As she did so, the man raised a gun straight to her face.

“TORY!!!” I screamed, eyes, waterfalls, as the loud sound rang through the neighborhood.

BANG!

“NOOOOOO!!!” I cried, as I watched the bullet make contact with her face. I saw blood, splatter outward from her body, as he shot over and over again, with her limp body flinging around like a rag doll. No, first my parents, then my boyfriend and his parents, and now my best friend.

That same hoarse, cold, laughter, echoed throughout the street. Then he started picked her dead, bloody, body up and turned her around, revealing a horrible image to me. And as if that wasn’t enough, he pulled out a knife, and slit her throat. I watched in horror as Tory’s blood spat out. I turned my head, crying frantically. I heard a soft thud, and footsteps approaching fast. He was running towards me! No, no!

I tried. I tried running as fast as I could. My legs were trembling beneath me. My breath and footsteps became a rhythm, as I raced for my life. Steady, and heavy to the ear, tap, breath, breath, tap. The once, near sounding paces behind me were no more. I stopped. So did everything else. Ring! Ring! Ring! My heart dropped. No, not again. I knew what would happen when I answered my cell, but I answered it anyway. Tears strained down my face, as I felt the cold hands wrap around my neck. The word, “hello” didn’t even come out with my last breath, as my blood poured to the ground…

“AAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!” I screamed, as I flew up from my bed. Sweat drenched my body, and my breathing was heavy. My hands instantly flew to my neck. Nothing but my smooth skin was there. I looked around. I was in my room. Oh. My. Gosh. It was just a dream! I laughed out loud to myself, it was all unreal. It was just a dream! I couldn’t help but giggle, to myself. I had to tell my parents about this. I looked at the clock to see what time it was. 12:30 am.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

I looked down, hesitantly. It read, “UNKNOWN NAME”.

Tears formed in my eyes, as my smile faded away from my face. My body started to shake as I let the phone ring while I cried. Finally, I answered the phone.

“He-hello?” I sobbed, quietly.

“Downstairs, and this time don’t run.”

Click. Beep, beep, beep…