The Real Nightmare

Chapter 1

The Real Nightmare

Written By: James Milliken

Chapter 1

Heavy breathing could be heard through the cold mansion as screams down the hallways gave further chill to the frightened teens who were hiding...

The wales of pain echoed, which could be heard by the ears of those who wished all of this would end...

Blood dripped almost in sync with the tears of the wounded and afraid...

And all will know what the real nightmare would be before and after this was over...

Eight hours earlier...

It was four in the afternoon in the quiet suburban neighborhood and a local family was getting ready to leave. Inside the house was a father who grabbed the car keys, a mother who sent one of her daughters to fetch her sister, and the eldest of the two daughters was upstairs finishing up her packing.

"Jessica! It's almost time for us to go! What's taking you so long?!" The younger sister, Kayla, called from downstairs.

"Just a minute. Tell Mom and Dad that I'll be there soon!" Jessica yelled back from her room.

Jessica and her family were about to spend the weekend at her uncle's mansion for a family reunion. She wasn't really into it since she would have to give up her weekend hanging out with her friends from high school. However, this would be the first time that she saw her uncle and his family since she was a baby. She figured it wasn't going to be a complete drag for her, so she packed the last of her clothing into her bag.

"Jessica, it's time to go," Her mother, Alice, called.

"Alright Mom," she yelled back as she quickly grabbed her cell phone, her bag, and her MP3 player to listen to music when she was bored.

As Jessica ran down the stairs and out the front door, she could hear her father, John, beep the car horn.

"Let's go gang. Uncle Joe isn't going to wait all day for us," John called from the driver side window.

"Coming dear," Alice said, as the girls got into the back of the car after loading their luggage.

Kayla was excited like usual while Jessica just looked out her window as the car backed out of the driveway. Jessica noticed a weird look on her mother's face through the rearview mirror up front. It was almost like she was dreading this trip, but kept up a warm smile in front of her family when they were looking her way. Regardless, Jessica didn't question it as the family left their neighborhood.

Afterwards, the family drove eastbound towards the countryside where Joe's mansion was located. It would take them fifty miles to reach it, because they would have to go through a few towns along the way. While on this trip, Alice decided to converse with her daughters.

"So, Jessica. This is your senior year in high school. Do you have any plans on what you want to do with your life once you graduate?" she asked.

"Oh that...Um...I'm not sure," Jessica said trying to dodge the subject.

"That figures. All you care about is hanging out with friends," Kayla teased.

"You do the same too, Kayla. You may be two years younger than your older sister but you both need to make decisions about what you want to do in the near future. Your father and I aren't going to be around forever so making plans now will mean a lot, trust me," Alice said to her daughters in a serious tone.

"Yes Mom," both girls said at the same time.

"So, Dad. Is Uncle Joe having the whole family over at his mansion?" Kayla asked changing the subject.