Timor (Luke Crain)

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Lucy clutched Mr. Berry tight to her chest as her hazel eyes stared at the door. She couldn't look away. If she looked away then something bad would happen, and she couldn't let anything bad happen to the Crain's. The only light that shone throughout the room was from the moon and Lucy didn't bother to get up and close her curtains, something that was feeding into her imagination, because if she got up, she'd have to stop looking at the door.

So, Lucy sat in the utter silence, her heart jumping at every creak and groan the house gave as she squeezed Mr. Berry tighter to her chest. She had wanted to sleep in the same room as Luke and Nellie but she was a big girl, she couldn't bother Mr. and Mrs. Crain with her childish imagination... at least, that's what her mom told her.

Even though they had only been at the house for a few weeks, Lucy knew the layout well. She had spent countless hours playing hide and seek with Luke and Nellie, and always silently rejoiced when she found a new hiding place.

Lucy glanced at the clock on her bedside table, her shoulders dropping in relief as she saw the minute hand closing in on the twelve. The mere glance was less than a second, but her heart dropped and dread filled her stomach as she heard the doorknob rattle. She held her breath and sat deathly still as she watched the knob twist back and forth, her eyes filling with tears at the thought of the door scraping open.

She hoped that the sound of the door would alert Luke and Nellie, or at least Steve, that something was wrong, but every night was the same.

Lucy didn't understand why everything had gone so terribly wrong, for it had only been two weeks since her nightmare had come to life.

Her heart was pounding and Lucy felt the bile collect in her throat as the knob starting twisting fast and faster, the door shaking with an unseen strength. Lucy finally caved. Squeezing her eyes shut, she slammed her body down on the bed and threw the cover over her, clutching the fabric. Her childish mind was telling her that everything was fine; that if she couldn't see the monster, then the monster couldn't see her.

Lucy listened, her breath shaky and her heart pounding in her ears, for the door to stop rattling. What felt like an eternity had passed—which, in the reality of the situation, had only been a minute or two—the rattling stopped. However, Lucy still hid under her covers, knowing the game that was played and knowing even though it sounded like it was gone, it wasn't.

When her heart had finally calmed in her chest and her breathing slowed down, Lucy pulled herself out from beneath her curtains, her hands trembling as she did so. Cautiously glancing around her room with wide eyes, Lucy let out a breath of relief and closed her eyes, the exhaustion that was hidden by the adrenaline finally collecting her in its arms.

Wearily blinking her eyes open, a scream echoed around the room as Lucy's body gave out on itself. She couldn't move. Her arms felt heavy, her legs didn't want to work, and her body lazily fell back against the headboard. She was crying now, tears streaming down her cheeks as she wildly thrashed her heavy body and screams resonating around her room. Why wasn't anyone coming? Couldn't they hear her? Why couldn't they hear her?

She wanted Luke. She wanted Luke and Nellie. She wanted Luke, Nellie, Steve, Shirley, and Theo.

She had to get to there room. If she was there, then she was safe and it couldn't get her.

But she couldn't move.

It was staring at her. Where its eyes had once been, were now two empty sockets and Lucy watched in horror as a thin stream of blood slowly ran down its face. Its skin was patched with some areas rotting, some stretched tight over the bone or some missing skin in general. Lucy sobbed as it reached its hand out towards her, and she shrunk into the bed, violently shaking her head.

The decaying flesh was going to touch her... it was going to take her away.

Bracing herself, Lucy waited for the feeling of cold, mushy flesh and she recoiled as far back as she could.

The hand was getting closer and she turned her head away, squeezing her eyes shut, but she could still see its hand getting closer, and closer, and closer. Just as it was about to touch her, it stopped and Lucy peaked an eye open. A heart-stopping scream reverberating through the house.

She could hear the sound of footsteps thudding and the calls of her name, but she couldn't respond, her mouth hanging open.

She was staring into a void of nothing as deep red spotted her sheets.

Lucy woke with a scream.