The Stranger

Chapter One~~

"Acelynn, baby. Come to bed. You've been trying to write that song for over two hours now. You need sleep, and I don't want to go to bed without you for the third night in a row." Jack called to me from the bedroom.

"I need to run to the cellar for a couple things. Then I'll be there." I got up from my laptop and patted down the stairs to the cellar. I swung my hands in the air trying to find the light string. Grabbing onto it, I turned it on.

I searched around for the batteries and lightbulbs I needed, but instead I came across a big, red, tattered book. Curious, I grabbed it, forgetting about the things I had came down there for. I turned off the light, ran upstairs, and hopped into bed. Book in hand.

Jack turned over and put his head on my leg, "what's that babe?" He reached for it but I pulled away.

"Hold on. I don't even know yet."

"Fine. Read the stupid book. I'm going to bed." He said pulling up the blanket and turning over.

I waited until I heard Jack lightly snoring before I opened the book. A few of the pages were bookmarked. I flipped through the pages and I realized that they were all autopsy reports. I didn't know why, but I felt as if I needed to look through them. I flipped to the first bookmarked page. Then the second, and so on. I soon noticed why those pages were marked. They all shared the last name. Barlow. My last name. I skimmed through the information on each page. Kathleen May Barlow, date of death: 1930. She must have been my great great great grandma. Reason of death: murder. 'Hmm. Weird', I thought.

I read the rest. Tim Wilie Barlow, murder. Suzanne Sam Barlow, murder or suicide. Patrick Owen Barlow, suicide. And Leonard Irwin Barlow, murder or suicide.

'Why would these all be marked,' I thought to myself, 'and how did this get here. None of my family even knows I'm here.' I shut the book and turned off my light.

I laid in bed for a good hour or so thinking about all those names, my family members. How did they all get murdered?' I finally drifted off to sleep.

-Dream-

(Kathleen's POV)

I walked outside to see Tim cooking on the grill. We did this about 3 times a month, and we invited all the neighbors over. It was a Barlow tradition. I sat down in my usual lawn chair with my iced tea in hand.

"How's it coming along, Timmy?" I asked poking Tim in the sides.

"Come on lady. I'm doing this for you. Leave my poor sides alone."

-a few hours later-

"That was an amazing BBQ like always Kate! Thank you so much for inviting us," Laura, my closest neighbor said. "Children say thank you."

"Thank you Mrs. Kate." Laura's children said in unison.

They were the last ones to leave. I got up to help Tim with the mess. Afterwards we went upstairs to get ready for bed. It took me about 3 minutes to fall asleep.

-later on that night-

*clank clank* I shot up out of bed. I tried waking Tim but had no luck, as he sleeps like the dead. I grabbed my baseball bat and started towards my bedroom door. I heard a few more clanks on my way down the stairs. They sounded like they were in the kitchen. So I slowly tiptoed to the kitchen door. I walked by the fridge and that's when they hit me. I fell to the floor and blacked out.

-Dream End-

(Acelynn's POV)

I woke up screaming. That dream was so realistic. Like I was actually her. I wonder if that's how Kathleen died. I need to find out.