Blood in the Attic

☆ 1. Spider ☆

A harsh gust of wind ripped through the chilled night air, whistling through the spindly pines and throwing their branches against the window. The tree limbs resembled the legs of an arachnid; long, gangly, and they seemed to possess a mind of their own.

The ancient home had seen many a windstorm. Evan knew this yet the fierce gales left him feeling unsettled. His wife lay beside him, burrowed underneath a dense layer of blankets. She was out cold. Unlike Evan, she was quite a heavy sleeper.

Her presence helped calm Evan's frayed nerves. She looked so peaceful. Even when asleep she wore a warm smile. She held the likeness of a beautiful porcelain doll.

Evan sat straight up, staring out the window at the forest across from them. There was very little light pollution there; they were completely submerged in a veil of suffocating darkness.

He could see the faint outlines of the trees, but that was all. The hair on the back of his neck stood up. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was out in that dark forest. Something was watching him.

The darkness began to play tricks on him, hazy images of people and animals frolicked across his field of vision. He wanted to badly to look away, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was lurking in the shadows just outside the walls of their home. Something sinister.

Evan, you're acting like a child. He thought to himself. There's no monster in the closet, and there certainly isn't one in the woods.

He reminded himself the the mountain lions were the only scary thing in the dense forest outside, and they couldn't get through the walls of this aging, yet mighty structure.

He took one last glance at the oppressive darkness and with a sigh he rested his head upon his pillow once more. The old house groaned like an elderly man taking a ragged breath. The air was still, yet thick. Evan thought himself to be paranoid but he was sure that he could feel the presence of someone else, someone that wasn't his wife.

Perhaps it was just nerves? After all, they had just gone through several major life changes. Amelia had lost her parents, they had moved several states away from home, Amelia was pregnant. Such things often don't lead to a settled and calm mind.

Still, the anxious thoughts plagued Evan's mind. He held his breath as he listened to the wood creaking somewhere in the house. It was surely just the house settling, its age suggested that. Evan however wasn't satisfied with that logic.

It's nothing, Evan. Just go to sleep. It's just the house.

He was far too old to be falling for silly ghost stories. He was about to become a father, yet deep down he still felt like a fearful young boy.

Fending off these nonsensical worries, Evan finally drifted off to sleep. He didn't get much rest though. His dreams were plagued by fleeting images of specters and poltergeists.

He awakened with a start, turning over to discover that his wife was no longer beside him. Warm rays of light peeking through the blinds settled on Evan's skin. This comforted him. The sun's friendly embrace helped him to forget the nightmares he had experienced just a short time ago.

He eased himself out of bed and trudged over to the dresser. He dug around through one of the drawers, unsatisfied. Finally he pulled out a simple pair of jeans and a green and black chequered flannel shirt.

He promptly dressed himself and headed down the creaky staircase to the kitchen. Amelia was standing near the counter, stirring the contents of a coffee mug. Her hair was a tangled mess, like a nest of garter snakes. Nevertheless Evan found her to be the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on.