Rise of the Dead

10

Rain was pounding on the windows, while lightning flashed and thunder roared outside. Max slowly crept up the stairs, with Sophia behind him. They were halfway up the stairs when they heard sounds coming from the second floor. Sophia pointed her flashlight up to the landing, then she screamed. Standing at the top of the stairs, was Daniel, staring down at them with hatred in his eyes. Hanging from his right hand, was the bloody baseball bat, blood dripping onto the carpet.

With Daniel still at the top of the stairs, Max and Sophia both quickly descended down the stairs. Once they were near the bottom of the stairs, they ran for it, Sophia was behind Max. Daniel quickly descended down the stairs and caught up with his sister. Using his free hand, he grabbed her by the shoulder, and pulled her back. "Max, help me!" she shouted at Max, as her brother pulled her to the ground. Max stopped in his tracks and went back to help her.

Sophia was down on the ground, her brother sitting on top of her legs. She couldn't kick at him, so she tried to shove him off of her. Daniel didn't move a inch, and he just sat there, staring down at her in the darkness. Realizing that she was completely helpless, Sophia finally gave up and put her hands above her head. "Please, don't do this...." she told her brother, trying to get through to him. In the beam of light from her flashlight, she could see him fight for control over his body.

Daniel raised the bloody baseball bat over his head, his arms shaking as he fought for control. "I'm so sorry, Sophia," he said to her, the baseball bat still in the air. "No! Daniel, you have to fight it," she told him, then she heard a deep growl. In a deep demonic voice, Daniel said to her, "Sorry, Daniel's not here right now." He brought the baseball bat down towards her, but when the bat was halfway, Max tackled Daniel on his side. The baseball bat slid across the floor, out of Daniel's reach. Sophie got onto her feet and watched as Max and her brother were fighting on the floor.

"Run!" Max told her, who stared at him, her eyes wide with fear. "Go, now!" he shouted, his voice louder than he wanted it to be. Sophia quickly bent over, picked up her flashlight, and rushed up the stairs. She ran down the hallway and into her bedroom, then she slammed her bedroom door shut. Using her flashlight, her eyes scanned the room for something to block the door with. Sophia's eyes landed on her chair, so she rushed over to her desk. With her free hand, she grabbed the chair, dragged it over to the door, and jammed the chair underneath the doorknob.

She backed away from her bedroom door, hoping that the chair will hold. Downstairs, Max and Daniel were still fighting on the floor. Daniel punched Max hard in his chest with his right fist. He was about to land another punch when Max elbowed him hard in the stomach. Daniel let out a huff as the blow connected with his stomach. He fell back onto the carpet, his free hand going to his stomach. Max scrambled onto his feet, and rushed over to the stairs. Daniel struggled to find the baseball bat in the darkness. Finally, he found the bat, so he grabbed it, and got onto his feet.

Max was halfway up the stairs when Daniel grabbed him by the left ankle. He flipped his body over, so he was on his back, and started to kick at Daniel. Daniel could feel the kicks as they hit his back, but he didn't let go of Max's ankle. He started to drag his best friend down the stairs, back down to the first-floor. "Let me go!" Max shouted at Daniel, trying to free his left ankle from his friend's grip. When the two of them reached the first floor, Daniel let go of Max's ankle.

Max tried to get onto his feet, but before he could, Daniel hit him on the top of his head with the baseball bat. He grabbed the back of Max's leather jacket collar and he started to drag his body into the living-room. Daniel let go of his friend's collar and Max's body fell onto the carpet, next to the coffee table. Making his way through the darkness, he made his way to the stairs, and went up the stairs. Inside her room, Sophia could hear her brother as he made his way up the stairs, his footsteps echoing through the empty house.