Haunted Lullaby

Prologue

"Good night, Adalynn," Jocelyn Matthews bent over to kiss her daughter on the head, to which she gurgled and shook her fists in reply. Jocelyn stepped back from the crib and turned off the lights, before walking out of the room. The door shut softly behind her.

Soon enough, the light under the door turned off, leaving the room to be illuminated only by the full moon. As if vaporizing from thin air, a dark figure stepped out of the shadows and walked slowly towards the crib, footsteps muffled by the thick carpet.

Standing above the crib, a hood over his head, he reached down to softly stroke the baby's head. She quietly started whimpering, feeling unsettled by the strange hands touching her.

"Hello, Addy." Hearing the low voice made her stop crying as she felt the familiarity calm her. She has heard this voice every night for the past 9 months of her life.

The man crouched beside the crib, making Adalynn turn her head to watch him through the wooden bars. Her hazel eyes were wide as she stuck her thumb in her mouth to suck on. Slowly, he opened his mouth and started singing softly,

"Black roses spread o'er the the small baby bed,"

He ran his hand down a bar of the crib. The designs felt familiar underneath his palm.

"Bright angels stand as the blood falls red."

His voice gets slightly louder, harsher. The angels didn't do anything for Brett, he reminds himself as a stray tear falling down his cheek. He hastily wipes it away and continues singing, his voice breaking.

"For now, sleep pretty baby, don't you cry."

Adalynn continues to stare at his face, her ears grown accustomed to this song.

"As I sing you this haunted lullaby."

He stands up, towering over the small baby. "Don't worry, Addy. You'll soon be mine." And with that, he walks towards the window and opens it. Startled, Adalynn opens her mouth to let out a piercing wail.

The light turns on in the hall before Jocelyn runs in, clad in her night gown. The dark room is empty, the only sign of movement is the curtains lightly fluttering in front of the closed window.