Beware of the Neighborhood.

1 - Time for a Change

Hi there. Were you looking for me or did you stumble onto my book on your own?

Either way, let me introduce myself.

I am Ashley Winchester, I am 16-year-old, and I love to travel. What else? you will know the rest about me soon enough.

Before you keep reading, let me ask you a question.

Do you believe in Monsters? Or in the things that go bump in the night? ...maybe this book will force you to think!

As for me? I never believed in monsters, until I came face to face...with one.

To be honest, I love reading good horror stories, but I would never want to be in one. But now that I am involved, and seeing that you are still reading, I assume you want to get involved too...well...you have been warned.

Without further ado, here's what happened.

This story in particular started with a feeling.

A really scary feeling.

I knew it was a nightmare the second it started. I also knew I was trapped in it. I found myself running from someone...something but no matter where I looked each direction was identical. I tripped once, scrapping my knee but felt no pain. The sky overhead thundered, grey clouds loomed overhead, casting deadly shadows. I swallowed hard, as I continued to run but I knew it was to no avail. Even if I ran fast enough for my lungs to burst, I was not going anywhere. My legs seemed to move slower than ever as I fought my way through the forest. I turned to see what it was that I was running from, raw fear gripping me. I stumbled and crashed onto the hard earth. It was then that he finally found me. I screamed as I met his eyes, dark and haunting. He tilted his head a little and sneered, as he took a step towards me.

It was then that I knew...this moment was going to be the death of me.

Fear paralyzed me. Never in a million years had I imagined my death to walk towards me like this, nor did I ever think I would die out here, in the middle of the woods, all alone. I held my breath as I saw him kneel in front of me, I opened my mouth to plead as he brought his hand to my throat at lightning speed. The last thing I remember was looking into his dark eyes, which radiated malice as, with an iron grip, he squeezed the life out of me...

My eyes flew open as I sat upright, one hand at my throat, gasping for air. For a few moments I just sat still, feeling my heart hammer in my chest as I looked around me, trying to reassure myself that I was in my comfortable and cosy room, sitting on my soft bed. It didn't work. I was still too terrified to move.

This was unusual, I never had nightmares. Was this a sign of something? My great Aunt Helene used to say that Nightmares existed to warn us when something sinister was on the way. Was something coming?

I glanced at my bedside clock. It was 8;15 am Saturday. Throughout the week I was so looking forward to the weekend and now that it was here, I was not going to ruin it by a nightmare, I thought, falling back on my pillow as I drew the blankets around me, trying to go back to sleep.

'It's a nightmare, it's only a dream, no one wants to kill me' I chanted as I took a few deep breaths to calm down, but instead I sat up straight again as a sharp pungent smell filled my nostrils. The smell of something burning. I took another deep breath. Something was definitely burning.

"Jason! Did you burn something?" I called out, but when no one replied I threw back the covers and got out of the bed, tentatively walking out my room and making my way to his. I lived in a three-bedroom apartment with my family, which my grandparents had bought in the early days of their marriage.