This is a short story that I wrote for my creative writing class.
Readers beware, it's not for the faint at heart. Otherwise, enjoy and please tell my what you think. I'm in the process of working on my second one.
Readers beware, it's not for the faint at heart. Otherwise, enjoy and please tell my what you think. I'm in the process of working on my second one.
***
***
Katherine’s eyes sprung open. She had fallen asleep on the couch while reading a novel, though she should have been studying chemistry. Why do I enjoy horrors so much, she questioned, picking up her textbook and launching into equilibrium equations.
Distracted, Katherine looked up, hearing noises from the kitchen. Someone was walking around, she could hear them bumping into things. Grabbing her flash light, knuckles turning white, she got up and crept into the dark hallway.
She was babysitting overnight for three children which, as a full time university student, she didn't have the time for. The term was almost over and finals were quickly approaching, her nerves were on fire. After three years of cramming, caffeine had failed her. As her immunity to the brown liquid had increased, so did the pressure to experiment. Her friends had recommended crystal meth, using their positive experiences to confirm its efficiency. It was this, and a botched attempt at eating coffee grinds, that had coerced her. She had finally caved.
And now she was here. Katherine kept walking, swinging her flashlight back and forth along the hallway floor, goose bumps climbing up her arms, approaching the noise in the kitchen. As she turned the corner, a shadowy figure spun around to face her.
“What are you doing?” she gasped. “You scared me half to death.” Riki, age ten, shivered and whispered,
“I was looking for another flashlight.”
Katherine swept one off counter and shoved Riki back to bed, for the fourth time that night.
“Stop messing around,” Katherine snapped. “This is the last time I want to see you out of bed, do you hear?”
“Yes,” Riki squeaked, huddling beneath the covers.
Katherine stormed back to the couch, fuming. Riki’s starting to drive me crazy, she thought. Why won’t she go to sleep? She’s always walking around and freaking me out. I have enough stress as it is. She sighed, unclenching her fists, I need a hit…The world began to spin around her. Just breathe. She closed her eyes, in… out… in… out, good job. You don’t need a hit, you’re in control. You can take this.
“Enough, Kathy, time to start working,” she admonished, collecting herself and opening her chemistry textbook in another attempt to study. But it was no use, chemistry was so boring. Why am I majoring in science? It didn’t help that her eye lids felt like lead and her brain like molasses.
“Just one puff, that’s all I need, really,” she heard herself plead. You can’t smoke on the job! She reprimanded. Try to stick to coffee. But she knew it wouldn’t work.
Now she was sitting here. If I can’t study, I might as well entertain myself. Picking the paperback up from the floor, she mused,
“Now this is a lot more interesting.”
“He had warned them, from the beginning, that it was futile to hide.
‘I’ll be there, in the end.’ Now he was.”
Time moved on as she delved into the novel. Slowly, subtly, her weariness took over, her heartbeat steadied, and she started to drift off…
***
The hallway lights were blinking. She could hear tapping on the window.
“I’m ok. Nothing is going to happen to me. It’s just the wind outside,” she repeated to herself. But it was pointless. She knew, somehow, that he was out there, waiting, wanting. No matter where she went, his eyes were always following. She was tired of running, tired of being afraid.
***
Katherine stirred and rolled over. Her skin was clammy.
“I should really stop reading this book,” she thought, pushing it aside and reached for her textbook, but stopped half-way. She heard someone shuffling around in the kitchen again. Her body went stiff. Calm down, it’s probably just Riki. Clutching her flashlight, she tiptoed back to the kitchen.
CRASH!
She froze. She couldn’t move. Sweat collected in her palms, lubricating the flashlight in her hand. She tightened her grip on it.
“Don’t be silly, Kathy, you’re just hearing things” -the floor creaked with the drag of feet – “Pinch yourself, it’s just a dream. Ouch, that hurt,” she gasped, startled.
Terror settled in, she willed herself to breathe. It’s probably just Riki. But there wasn’t anyone in the kitchen. Standing in the doorway she, stopped to listen, hearing nothing. She entertained the idea of being crazy. See, you’re just hearing things, he’s – no one’s- here. Go check the kids, just to make sure.
She crept to their bedrooms. They were all sleeping quietly, with no sign of harm. She walked around the house, scanning the windows and doors, finding no broken glass. She resolved that she really had been hearing things. Settling down on the couch, she took her phone out to check the time. That’s odd, she thought, pressing the power button. BATTERYLOW TURNING OFF, and the phone went dark again.
“Great, that’s just great. Now, if something does hap- STOP, just stop that thought. You’re getting yourself worked up. Nothing is going to happen. This isn’t some horror novel.”
Exhaustion and stress washed over her; the night was taking its toll. She felt the stiff veins in her neck pulsing. She tried to loosen up, rotating her shoulders.
“A ringer would feel great right now,” she muttered, struck by the intensity of her yearning. You’re babysitting! You’re responsible for three children, her reason screamed. But there’s no way you’re going to get any more studying done with out one, her craving whispered innocently. And NO one would know. No one’s awake to smell it, it continued, and, after your peak, you’ll return back to earth and be able to concentrate on chemistry. Convinced, she got up.
She went to the kitchen, where she had left her things, and fished around for her smoke and lighter. Finding it, she went to the bathroom and lit up.
“Much better,” she exhaled in-between puffs. Her stress relief was immediate, with peaceful thoughts of pleasure controlling her mind, as she reached the peak in her high. She stumbled back to the couch, weightless.
“You know, you’ll never get away,” he nagged. “Even when you think I’ve gone, I’ll come back, I’ll always be back.”
Fog filled the air, obscuring her vision. She was running. Whatever happens, she must protect the children.
“Why won’t you leave us alone?” She screamed. But he wasn’t listening. His hungry eyes locked on her, he were determined, and he wasn’t going to let her go.
Startled, she sat up. Her breathing was raspy, her heart pounding in her ears. Someone was running down the stairs.
“You’re not going to hurt us,” she screamed, leaping off the couch. I must protect the children. Her mind howled. His words circulated through her,
“Even when you think I’ve gone, I’ll come back, I’ll always be back.”
“I’ll be there, in the end.”
She ran blindly toward the stairs, stopping suddenly and pivoting into the kitchen. Moon light shone through the window, catching on the blade of a knife in its holder, glinting off of the metal surface, drawing her attention. She snatched the butcher knife and, suddenly composed, continued toward the stairs. She stalked down them, descending on her unknowing prey.
Reaching the floor, she listened, figuring out where it had fled to. She was blind to reason and heard nothing but his voice inside her heard. Then she heard it.
“He’s in there,” she whispered.
Hearing nothing else, she dashed into the room. He was caught completely by surprise. As he spun around to face her, the knife came down, plunging into his shoulder. She could feel the metal grate against his bone. Blood oozed slowly, her knife still within his flesh. She wrenched it free and made to strike again. This time you won’t come back!
“Please stop!” shrieked a voice outside her mind. Katherine stumbled backward, confused. “I didn’t… mean to…” Her prey pleaded between laboured breathes, “I was… just…playing, trying… to… freak… you.”
“He’s trying to trick you,” she reasoned. But her prey had shocked her back into the here and the now, away from the mist and fog. Her vision came into focus, and she looked down at her victim. The colour had drained from its face. Blood was dripping down the left knee, having soaked the torso, and its bottom lip tremble from shock.
Riki’s glazed eyes looked up at her.
“Don’t be silly, Kathy, you’re just hearing things” -the floor creaked with the drag of feet – “Pinch yourself, it’s just a dream. Ouch, that hurt,” she gasped, startled.
Terror settled in, she willed herself to breathe. It’s probably just Riki. But there wasn’t anyone in the kitchen. Standing in the doorway she, stopped to listen, hearing nothing. She entertained the idea of being crazy. See, you’re just hearing things, he’s – no one’s- here. Go check the kids, just to make sure.
She crept to their bedrooms. They were all sleeping quietly, with no sign of harm. She walked around the house, scanning the windows and doors, finding no broken glass. She resolved that she really had been hearing things. Settling down on the couch, she took her phone out to check the time. That’s odd, she thought, pressing the power button. BATTERY
“Great, that’s just great. Now, if something does hap- STOP, just stop that thought. You’re getting yourself worked up. Nothing is going to happen. This isn’t some horror novel.”
Exhaustion and stress washed over her; the night was taking its toll. She felt the stiff veins in her neck pulsing. She tried to loosen up, rotating her shoulders.
“A ringer would feel great right now,” she muttered, struck by the intensity of her yearning. You’re babysitting! You’re responsible for three children, her reason screamed. But there’s no way you’re going to get any more studying done with out one, her craving whispered innocently. And NO one would know. No one’s awake to smell it, it continued, and, after your peak, you’ll return back to earth and be able to concentrate on chemistry. Convinced, she got up.
She went to the kitchen, where she had left her things, and fished around for her smoke and lighter. Finding it, she went to the bathroom and lit up.
“Much better,” she exhaled in-between puffs. Her stress relief was immediate, with peaceful thoughts of pleasure controlling her mind, as she reached the peak in her high. She stumbled back to the couch, weightless.
***
“You know, you’ll never get away,” he nagged. “Even when you think I’ve gone, I’ll come back, I’ll always be back.”
Fog filled the air, obscuring her vision. She was running. Whatever happens, she must protect the children.
“Why won’t you leave us alone?” She screamed. But he wasn’t listening. His hungry eyes locked on her, he were determined, and he wasn’t going to let her go.
***
Startled, she sat up. Her breathing was raspy, her heart pounding in her ears. Someone was running down the stairs.
“You’re not going to hurt us,” she screamed, leaping off the couch. I must protect the children. Her mind howled. His words circulated through her,
“Even when you think I’ve gone, I’ll come back, I’ll always be back.”
“I’ll be there, in the end.”
She ran blindly toward the stairs, stopping suddenly and pivoting into the kitchen. Moon light shone through the window, catching on the blade of a knife in its holder, glinting off of the metal surface, drawing her attention. She snatched the butcher knife and, suddenly composed, continued toward the stairs. She stalked down them, descending on her unknowing prey.
Reaching the floor, she listened, figuring out where it had fled to. She was blind to reason and heard nothing but his voice inside her heard. Then she heard it.
“He’s in there,” she whispered.
Hearing nothing else, she dashed into the room. He was caught completely by surprise. As he spun around to face her, the knife came down, plunging into his shoulder. She could feel the metal grate against his bone. Blood oozed slowly, her knife still within his flesh. She wrenched it free and made to strike again. This time you won’t come back!
“Please stop!” shrieked a voice outside her mind. Katherine stumbled backward, confused. “I didn’t… mean to…” Her prey pleaded between laboured breathes, “I was… just…playing, trying… to… freak… you.”
“He’s trying to trick you,” she reasoned. But her prey had shocked her back into the here and the now, away from the mist and fog. Her vision came into focus, and she looked down at her victim. The colour had drained from its face. Blood was dripping down the left knee, having soaked the torso, and its bottom lip tremble from shock.
Riki’s glazed eyes looked up at her.
